Polemonium Species, Leafy Polemonium, Leafy Jacob's Ladder, Leafy Polemonium

A hardy herbaceous perennial native to the Western U.S., leaf polemonium has stiff, upright stems bearing leaves formed of narrow dark gr...Read Moreeen leaflets. From early to late summer, it bears 1/2 inch wide mauve-blue flowers in clustered heads. The handsome flowers are highlighted by orange-yellow stamens. The better known Polemonium caeruleum, Jacob's Ladder, is a short-lived, less dramatic species.

Cultivation: Rich, deep, loamy soil in partial shade, does not tolerant heat and humidity. These plants soon exhaust the soil, which will need annual mulching or feeding with fertilizer.

Propagation: Lift and divide in autumn or spring.