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Polemonium caeruleum
Also called Greek Valerian, Blue Jacob's Ladder, Charity
Jacob's Ladder is a hardy perennial with blue or white cup-shaped flowers and fern-like leaves, native to damp meadows and woodlands in temperate Europe and northern Asia. It does best in moist, lime-rich soil with partial shade and consistent moisture.
Polemonium caeruleum, known as Jacob's-ladder or Greek valerian, is a hardy perennial flowering plant. The plant produces cup-shaped, blue or white flowers. It is native to temperate regions of Europe. It is the type species of the phlox family, Polemoniaceae.
The plant normally prefers soil that is rich in moisture and lime with partial shade. Normally hardy, some cultivars (e.g. 'Blue Pearl') behave as tender biennials, which means they are effectively annuals in cooler climates (below hardiness zone 6).
The plant is known to have a few landscape uses as well such as attracting beneficial insects. The plant itself is convenient for container planting due to the shape of its growth. The flower may be presented as a cut flower or foliage and may be added to bouquets for its pleasant smell. It can be grown in a perennial border or rock garden.
The plant is native to damp grasslands, woodlands, meadows and rocky areas in temperate areas of Europe and northern Asia.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Polemonium caeruleum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
