Jacob's Ladder derives its name from the way the leaves are spaced on the stems. The medium green leaves are alternate and compound but the leaves themselves are opposite on the stem, creating the ladder. The light blue bell shaped flowers hang in loose clusters on their own stems. The stems grow 10 to 15 inches.
Jacob’s Ladder is not aggressive but will spread from seed, forming nice natural looking colonies. It prefers shade or dappled sunlight and a soil rich in organic matter but it will tolerate poorer or drier soils but may go dormant over the summer if it does not receive enough moisture.
Larval Host for the
1-1.5'
1-1.5'
SIZE
SOIL
Medium, Moist, Well-Drained, Rich
LIGHT
Part Shade, Sun
BENEFITS
Bees, Moths, Butterflies
NOTES
Deer do not like this plant so it is a good candidate for planting near plants that are usually eaten by deer such as Trillium. Other good companions are yellow wood poppy, foam flower, wild ginger, violets and early meadow rue.
CHARACTERISTICS
Deer Resistant, Showy, Tolerates Black Walnut
April, May, June
Flower
This
flowers in
Jacob's Ladder
Polemonium reptans
DETAIL VIEW
DESCRIPTION
Jacob's Ladder derives its name from the way the leaves are spaced on the stems. The medium green leaves are alternate and compound but the leaves themselves are opposite on the stem, creating the ladder. The light blue bell shaped flowers hang in loose clusters on their own stems. The stems grow 10 to 15 inches.
Jacob’s Ladder is not aggressive but will spread from seed, forming nice natural looking colonies. It prefers shade or dappled sunlight and a soil rich in organic matter but it will tolerate poorer or drier soils but may go dormant over the summer if it does not receive enough moisture.