Jacob's Ladder

Sharon Marie · Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:52 pm

Does anyone have any experience with this plant? It seems to like lots of water. It gets approximately 7-8 hours of full sun a day. The rest of the time is full shade. Is the constant sun the reason for the need for loads of water? The soil is very well drained. There is no mulch on top. I am planning to add mulch around this plant, my caramel plant, and the japanese andromeda plant. I just have been busy repairing the lawn this week. Anyhow, it seems I have to water this plant heavily every other day. Any advise would be great

Thanks

Kisal · Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:05 am

Sharon, do you know the Latin name of your Jacob's Ladder?

I tried to Google the common name for info, but apparently, it applies to several members of Polemonium (P. caeruleum, P. pulcherrimum, and P. reptans), but also to Convallaria majalis and Pedilanthus tithymaloides.

bullthistle · Sat Apr 18, 2009 12:43 pm

Afternoon sun is worse since it is the hottest. How is your andromeda faring? That usually doesn't like the P.M. sun so if that is doing well don't worry just mulch.

Sharon Marie · Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:53 pm

I will find the name for the jacobs ladder. The japanese plant is actual one that survived from last year, we had two, and one didn't make it through the winter. It seems to be thriving now though, along with the caramel plant. The sun is from dawn until around 2pm, and then it's mostly shade. The jacobs ladder said part - sun to shade. I figured Sun until 2pm would be ok. It's just requiring loads of water. I have to water it daily or it droops. I'm hoping the mulch will help. I'll post pictures too. For now I have to go get cleaned up to buy some mulch

The Helpful Gardener · Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:08 pm

I grow my friend Bill's selection on our native form P. reptans'Stairway To Heaven', a nice varigation. Yes we have a lot of different ones; some are mountaintop specialists and some are lowland bog types, so Kisal is exactly right to ask, as one will not substitute for the other...

HG

Sharon Marie · Sat Apr 18, 2009 10:01 pm

Well, I pulled out the thing that came with the plant. It says " Heavenly Habit" I pulled off of the sales sticker and the latin name is polemonium boreale.
Here is a picture I have of this plant.
[img]https://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/sharontrobaugh/HPIM2395.jpg[/img]

The Helpful Gardener · Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:44 pm

A little dwarf from up by the Arctic Circle. Cute, and circumboreal, if from a little further north than us...

I always like to find a picture of it in it's native habitat; usually it gives me a good idea of what the plants needs are, but this time it's throwing me...

[url]https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacobsledder2.jpg[/url]

A talus/scree kind of plant usually means it likes sharper drainage, so water hungry doesn't seem to fit the profile so much; I'm a bit baffled. Make those roots stretch a bit and let it droop some, even prune off droopy foliage (reducing transpiration); perhaps it is taking a while to get it's feet under it. Another possibility is there was some breeding that the patent owner wanted to obscure, so he picked part of the parentage and called it that, while the true habit may be closer to the unlisted parent. Stranger things have happened.

I have seen plants used to low fertility get floppy when they get rich soil; perhaps this one likes it leaner? The picture sure looks lean to me...

HG