They are worth growing in areas where winter cold or late frosts kill the overwintering flower buds, simply for the foliage. They prefer good, moist soil on the acid side, but will grow in dryer conditions, once established. Very alkaline soil may induce chlorosis in the foliage. Old stems have exfoliating cinnamon colored bark, which, with their gaunt, arching habit provides winter interest. When in leaf, the form is mounding, with branches cascading to the ground.
All forms have panicle form flowers.
Flowers can age to pinks and wines before finally turning brown. It seems to me that flowers that receive direct sun rays color better. You can also dry these flowers, though the plants don't lend themselves to taking very long stems, since cutting the sparsely branching stems back leads to an awkward branching habit. The cultivar 'Snowflake' , has double florets and longer cones of flowers than the species, with the showy, sterile florets hiding the insignificant fertile flowers. They also develop pink and wine casts as they mature.