Thrives in almost any soil, including chalk, it is particularly suited to dry shaded areas. Prefers a well-drained loamy soil. A very ornamental and cold-tolerant plant, it tolerate temperatures down to about -25°c. There are some named varieties developed for their ornamental value. 'Compactus' is a more dense growing form for small gardens.

Young leaves, boiled. The fruit may be edible. No further details are given, though we would recommend caution in eating any member of this genus. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter. The seed contains 20.5% protein, 44.4% fat and 3.9% ash. These reports of edibility should be treated with some caution, see the notes above on toxicity. The flowers are a tea substitute.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 8 - 12 weeks warm followed by 8 - 16 weeks cold stratification and can then be sown in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm long taken at a node or with a heel, July/August in a frame. Very easy.

Thickets and woods in lowland and mountains all over Japan.