This introduction from South West Europe is a favourite summer bedding plant in the UK and so escapes from parks and gardens. It survives our warmer winters better than it used to and the seed certainly over-winters very successfully. Typically it will be found where the garden-waste fly-tippers have dumped stuff at the side of the road but you can find it in habitats which are similar to its European location in rocks and walls.

Waste ground, Ellesmere Port, 18th May 2005

Added on October 11th 2005, updated 6th August 2008, updated 27th Feb 2010, updated Se3 24th April 2010