Polemonium reptans (Jacob’s Ladder)

Ranging from Minnesota to New York, south to Oklahoma and Alabama, Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans) is a common woodland wildflower in mesic woods and floodplain forest.   Bearing clusters of beautiful sky-blue flowers, Jacob’s ladder blooms in mid-Spring (April here in Indiana) along with Tiarellas and wild violets.  Plants have a light spring-green look and grow in lush clumps, adding to the overall lush look of the spring woods.

Jacob’s ladder is so named because the pinnate leaves supposedly resemble a ladder – “Jacob’s Ladder” is an allusion to Jacob’s vision in Genesis 28 of a ladder (or stairway, depending on translation) reaching to heaven.  The sky-blue flowers may evoke heaven, but the leaves looking like ladders is a stretch of the imagination!   The link to the Old Testament reference is a bit of an enigma, no one seems to know where the appellation came from.

Jacob’s Ladder Uses

Jacob’s ladder is an easy-to-grow perennial, making a good “Green Mulch”.  It grows quickly from seed to bloom, and is reasonably drought tolerant, staying nearly evergreen if moisture conditions allow.  It blooms in mid-Spring, and is a critical source of pollen and nectar.

Garden and Landscape Uses

A mid-height clumping perennial, Jacob’s Ladder makes an excellent filler for shady to partly sunny woodland areas.  It grows 8-12 inches tall, and planted in mass it makes quite a statement.  It is a prolific self-seeder, but the seedlings are easily removed if unwanted, and they transplant very easily to fill in other areas of your garden.

 With consistent form and flower color, it makes a great repeating element throughout a landscape to tie the aesthetic together.

Wildlife Gardening Uses

Though largely unpalatable to herbivores such as deer and rabbits, Jacob’s Ladder is an excellent source of pollen and nectar for native pollinators.  The leaves are also a larval host for two small leaf miner moths.

In our garden, I’ve noticed that the jacob’s ladder patch is being used by a specialist native bee, Andrena polemonii – These native miner bees are tiny, not much bigger than a fruit fly!  I only really noticed them about 2 years after I planted the patch.  These bees can only feed on the pollen of jacob’s ladder, and planting a patch in your garden will give them that vital food to raise their brood.

How to Grow Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s ladder is easily grown from seed, though you could set yourself ahead a year by purchasing potted plants.  Always look for the smallest size available – I prefer plug flats if I’m planting a large area, or pint pots for lower quanitites.

Plant Jacob’s Ladder in drifts of 5 to 7 plants, spacing individual plants 7-12 inches apart.  Jacob’s ladder prefers a medium moisture, loamy soil.  A spot that gets a little morning sun is perfect, though they will grow well in full shade under deciduous trees.  Plants may go dormant in a severe drought but they come right back the following spring.

Scorecard Summary: Scoring a 4/5 on our Species Scorecard, Jacob’s Ladder is an excellent plant to include in an environmentally-minded landscape.  Though it doesn’t support a huge variety of lepidoptera (caterpillars), it does support a specialist native bee which earns it a solid place in our books.

At-A-Glance Information