Polemonium yezoense Halfway to Paradise

Polemonium yezoense ‘Halfway to Paradise’, also known as Jacob's Ladder and Greek Valerian, is a delicate perennial with fresh green, dentate foliage that takes on a purple hue in spring. It produces attractive small white flowers with lavender-streaked petals at the base, arranged along sturdy stems. This deciduous plant forms an imposing clump of fern-like foliage, tinged with purple when young. Fabulous, hardy, and vigorous, this plant thrives in full sun or partial shade, in cool, moist, humus-rich soil.

Polemonium yezoense ‘Halfway to Paradise’ belongs to the Polemoniaceae family. It is a herbaceous perennial that forms an imposing clump, reaching a height of 45 cm (18 in) with a spread of 50 cm (20 in). Its foliage is deeply divided and takes on a slightly purple tone in spring before turning fresh green and disappearing in winter. The Polemonium genus is distinguished by its fern-like foliage, showing dozens of small leaflets inserted perpendicularly to the central vein, like the rungs of a ladder. In 'Halfway to Paradise', from May to August, robust light green stems rise above the foliage, bearing clusters of bell-shaped flowers before full bloom. The corolla flattens at maturity, revealing its five diamond-shaped petals, pure white with lavender markings at the base of each. The centre of each flower reveals orange stamens when covered in pollen. It can bloom again in early autumn if faded flowers are regularly removed. It is a short-lived perennial but can self-seed.

Very hardy (-30 °C (-22 °F)) and easy to grow, Polemonium yezoense 'Halfway to Paradise' is not demanding. It thrives in any type of soil, from slightly alkaline to slightly acidic, provided it is fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained, and humid. Plant it in mixed borders or flower beds in association with anemones, pasqueflowers, Filipendula palmata with pink plumes, or ferns like Matteuccia struthiopteris with which it will form a delightful combination. This variety prefers sunny to partially shaded exposures. It pairs well with different foliage and flower colours, and adapts well to wooded gardens, rockeries, along pathways, or placed prominently as a specimen in a pot, its flowering attracting attention above the fresh green mass of its divided foliage.