Requires a well-drained soil in full sun. Prefers a fairly moisture-retentive sandy peaty soil. Requires a damp peaty soil. Plants can be difficult to cultivate. Plants are hardy to about -20°c, especially if the roots are given a good mulch in the winter. If left undisturbed, plants can form quite large colonies, spreading by means of their tough rhizomes. Plants do not flower every year, there are often gaps of 5 - 7 years between flowering.

Root - baked.

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if possible, otherwise in early spring. 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. Division as the plant comes into growth in the spring.

Dry sunny hills and open woods. Moist places in open woods and clearings, from sea level to 2100 metres.