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A very ornamental plant. It was at one time grown as a culinary vegetable.
A very long-lived and easily grown plant, it is best divided every other year. Slugs are very fond of this plant and can cause severe damage even to large plants.
This plant is a potential winter salad plant, it retains a basal rosette of leaves all winter.
Easily grown in ordinary garden soil. Prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade. Succeeds in light woodland.
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c. The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true. The plants are self-fertile.
Surface sow spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Edible usesRoot - raw.
Flowers - raw. A pleasant sweetness, and a very ornamental addition to mixed salads.