Polemonium

graceful early-season blooms

Jacob’s ladders

Light shade; average to moist but well-drained soil

Delicately beautiful Jacob’s ladders (Polemonium) are charming complements to other shade-loving perennials. Among the most readily available kinds are P. boreale ‘Heavenly Habit’, P. caeruleum, and P. yezoense, with upright stems, and creeping Jacob’s ladder (P. reptans), with a looser, somewhat sprawling habit. All have similar leaves, with many small leaflets that give them a somewhat ferny appearance, and cup- to bell-shaped blooms, typically in shades of blue but sometimes white. Jacob’s ladders are best suited to cooler climates (Zones 3 to 7).

Color Considerations

Most Jacob’s ladders bloom in tints of blue. They’re wonderful with white or yellow flowers: Try upright Jacob’s ladders with ‘Snow Thimble’ common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) or lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis), for instance, or creeping Jacob’s ladder with foamflowers (Tiarella) or wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum). Pink-flowered partners, such as bleeding hearts (Dicentra), are lovely, as well.

Take advantage of colorful foliage partners, too. White- or cream-variegated leaves, like those of ‘Patriot’ hosta, work well, as do grays and silvers, like those of ‘Looking Glass’ Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla). Jacob’s ladders also match well with yellow variegates, such as ‘Eversheen’ Japanese sedge (Carex oshimensis), and solid yellow leaves, like those of ‘Sweet Kate’ spiderwort (Tradescantia).

Jacob’s ladders that have variegated leaflets complement their own blue flowers, creating a stunning combination all by themselves. They show off best next to dark-leaved partners, such as bergenias (Bergenia) and Robb’s spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae).

A Perfect Match

I’ve never had much success with keeping the upright Jacob’s ladders in my garden for more than a year or two. Creeping Jacob’s ladder, on the other hand, has been a dependable performer—even its vividly variegated selections ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and ‘Touch of Class’. Their brightly colored, fine-textured leaves make a great match for rich green wild gingers (Asarum), hellebores (Helleborus), and other foliage partners.

Shapes and Textures

Jacob’s ladders are mounded in leaf, creating ferny clumps that work well at or close to the front of the border. They look great behind or next to lower spreaders, such as European wild ginger (Asarum europaeum), and in front of upright to arching partners, such as Solomon’s seals (Polygonatum) or toad lilies (Tricyrtis). In bloom, upright Jacob’s ladders develop a more vertical habit that adds variety among mounded companions, such as bleeding hearts and lady’s mantle.

Texture-wise, the small leaflets and flowers of Jacob’s ladders give the plants a dainty look that contrasts beautifully with hostas and other broad-leaved partners.

Seasonal Features

Variegated cultivars of Jacob’s ladders are showy from the time they emerge, often heavily tinged with pink. Creeping Jacob’s ladder usually blooms from mid- to late spring or—in the cooler parts of its growing range—late spring to early summer. Upright Jacob’s ladders tend to be at their best in late spring to early summer, extending into midsummer in cool climates.

Bloom Buddies

Marvelous Matches for Flowering Combos

While Jacob’s ladders (Polemonium) can thrive in full sun in the coolest parts of their growing range, they generally perform best with morning sun and afternoon shade or light all-day shade with average to moist but well-drained, compost-enriched soil. Below are some companions that can coincide with or overlap their usual bloom period.

Bellflowers (Campanula)

Columbines (Aquilegia)

Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera)

Epimediums (Epimedium)

Foamflowers (Tiarella)

Foamy bells (× Heucherella)

Foxgloves (Digitalis)

Goatsbeards (Aruncus)

Hardy geraniums (Geranium)

Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis)

Lupines (Lupinus)

Pulmonarias (Pulmonaria)

Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)

Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata)