Polemonium caeruleum Brise d'Anjon

Polemonium caeruleum 'Brise d'Anjou', also known as Jacob's Ladder and Greek Valerian, is an absolutely delightful variety recently discovered by chance in a nursery in Angers, France. It is a dense and bushy perennial that resembles an exotic fern from a distance, with feathery variegated foliage of green and white-cream. It flowers from May to August, producing panicles filled with bright blue-mauve flowers, shaded with a central purple ring and enhanced by yellow-orange stamens. This plant will make a great impact in the background of borders. Very hardy and easy to grow, it prefers fertile, well-drained and moist soils in sunny or partially shaded positions.

Polemonium caeruleum belongs to the Polemoniaceae family. This herbaceous perennial plant is native to temperate regions of Europe and North America, and is particularly well adapted to cold climates.

The 'Brise d'Anjou' variety, also known as 'Blanjou', distinguishes itself with its magnificent variegated foliage. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that forms an imposing clump, reaching a height of 50 cm (20 in) with a spread of 40 cm (16 in). Its foliage is deeply divided into 25 leaflets, which are dark green with pale yellow to white-cream margins. The Polemonium genus is characterised by its fern-like foliage, with dozens of small leaflets arranged perpendicular to the central vein, resembling the rungs of a ladder. In 'Brise d'Anjou', in late spring or early summer, the green stems rise above the foliage, bearing clusters of cup-shaped flowers with five petals. The heart of each blue-mauve flower is surrounded by a small violet circle that borders a white throat filled with yellow stamens that turn orange when covered in pollen.

Very hardy (-30 °C (-22 °F)) and easy to grow, Polemonium caeruleum 'Brise d'Anjou' will be undemanding and stunning in the middle of borders. It thrives in any type of slightly alkaline to slightly acidic, fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained, and humid soil. Plant it in mixed borders or mass plantings in combination with the wild species, vibrant blue flowers, anemones, pasqueflowers, or orange blooms like Potentilla fruticosa 'Hopleys Orange', with which it will create a delightful pairing. This variety prefers partially shaded positions. It blends 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 misty mass of its colourful foliage.