Succeeds in most soils, including wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils, but prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position. Rarely thrives on chalk. Plants send out underground stems from which new branches sprout. They quickly form dense thickets. The root system is rather aggressive and can cause problems with drains. It is best not to plant this species within 10 metres of buildings. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Although the flowers are produced in catkins early in the year, they are pollinated by bees and other insects rather than by the wind. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

The leaves have been used to make a drink like orange juice.

Seed - must be surface sown as soon as it is ripe in late spring. It has a very short viability, perhaps as little as a few days. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, November to February in a sheltered outdoor bed or planted straight into their permanent position and given a good weed-suppressing mulch. Very easy. Plant into their permanent positions in the autumn. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, June to August in a frame. Very easy.

Forms thickets in estuaries and swamps. Sandy gravelly or mucky soils in or along watercourses, often invading fresh sandbars in rivers and streams.