Polemonium reptans, Jacob's Ladder


Pale Blue flowers of Jacob's Ladder

At its northwestern-most range in Hennepin County, Jacob's Ladder is an exceptional native plant for shade to part sun with attractive foliage all season, mounding habit, and a plethora of pale blue to pink flowers from May into June. Our garden has a few growing in moist soil, in nearly full sun, and even in the drought years of 2020-21, it held onto its leaves and flowered for a long time. The rest, however, are in a savanna-like sun and shade condition and, in the wild, I've seen these mostly in full forest shade.  This versatile plant does will with Lady Fern, Maidenhair Fern, Wild Ginger, Zig Zag Goldenrod, Bottlebrush Grass, Wild Blue Phlox and Woodland Geranium and more.

Bloom: pale blue to pink, late April to mid June

Height: 12 to 18 inches

Conditions: part sun to shade, moist to medium soils

A second year Jacob's Ladder begins to bloom in mid-May.

Jacob's Ladder, here before May bloom, develops a nice mounded form over time.