Creeping Jacob's ladder

Creeping Jacob's ladder: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Loose, bushy clump 30–40 cm high and about 40 cm wide, with soft, often arching stems.

Leaves

Pinnate with 7–15 leaflets arranged like ladder rungs, fresh green; creamy-white edged in ‘Stairway to Heaven’.

Flower

Nodding, bell-shaped flowers of about 1.5 cm in loose clusters, pale blue to lavender-blue, from April to June.

Seed

Small seed capsules after flowering; the plant seeds itself gently.

Roots

Fibrous and shallow. The clump thickens after a few years and is easy to divide.

Flowering: April–June · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: March and June

Why grow it?

• Flowers from April to June with pale blue bells, a rare colour for shade.
• Pretty, finely divided foliage that stays fresh all summer if you cut it back after flowering.
• Bees and bumblebees find nectar here in spring.
• Suits part shade to shade, under shrubs and in a shade border.
• Fully hardy (to about −30 °C) and little work.

Creeping Jacob's ladder: where does it grow best?

• Part shade to shade. In full sun the leaves scorch and it dries out.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive loam or clay, acid to neutral.
• Normally moist: do not let the soil dry out completely in summer.
• Lovely under shrubs, at a woodland edge or among ferns and hostas.
• Allow 30–40 cm between plants.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.35 m tall, 0.4 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Ferns: Fine green foliage against the pale blue bells, in the same shade.
• Hosta: Large, broad leaves beside the finely divided foliage.
• Lady’s mantle: Soft yellow flowers and rounded leaves, also suited to part shade.
• Siberian bugloss: Flowers at the same time in blue and has attractive heart-shaped leaves.
• Barrenwort: Fine spring flowers and a dense ground cover for dry shade.

Creeping Jacob's ladder: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Work a few spadefuls of compost or leaf mould into the soil.
3. Dig a hole as deep as the pot and a little wider, and set the plant at the same depth as in its pot.
4. Space plants 30–40 cm apart.
5. Water straight away and keep the soil moist for the first weeks.
6. Spread a thin layer of leaf mould around the plants, keeping the crown clear.

Care

Watering

Keep the soil slightly moist, especially in the first year and in dry summers.

Feeding

Compost or leaf mould in spring; more is rarely needed.

Mulching

A thin layer of leaf mould keeps the soil cool and moist.

Spent flowers

Cut the stems back after flowering for fresh foliage and to limit self-seeding.

Dividing

Divide the clump every three to four years so it does not become bare in the middle.

Tip: Cut the flower stems back after flowering: this gives a new clump of fresh foliage and prevents self-seeding. Give it a moist, humus-rich spot in the shade.

Creeping Jacob's ladder: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and June.

When: In March to clear old foliage, and in June after the first flowering.

How:

• After flowering, cut the flower stems back to about 10 cm above the ground, or to the clump of leaves.
• Fresh new foliage soon replaces it and stays attractive for the rest of the season.
• In March, remove old, weathered foliage and dead stems.

Caution: On a variegated cultivar, remove shoots with entirely green leaves: they grow more strongly and can take over the variegated parts.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or in September, every three to four years: lift the clump, divide it into pieces with roots and leaves and replant straight away.

Sowing

In autumn or early spring in a seed tray, in a cool, shady spot outdoors. Seedlings of variegated cultivars often revert to green.

Creeping Jacob's ladder: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The foliage partly dies back or gets weathered in winter; clear it away in March.
• In a pot: use humus-rich soil, put the pot in shelter and do not let the soil dry out completely.

Diseases and pests

• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves, especially in drought or poor airflow. Water at the base, give it space and cut off affected parts.
• Brown leaf edges: The foliage scorches in sun or drought. Move it to more shade and water more.
• Slugs: Young leaves get nibbled in spring. Collect them in the evening and protect young plants.
• Self-sown seedlings: It seeds itself gently. Weed out unwanted seedlings early or cut the stems off after flowering.

Through the year

• March: Clear old foliage. Plant or divide. Apply compost.
• April: Flowering begins. Plant. Watch for slugs.
• May: Full flower.
• June: Flowering ends. Cut the stems back for new foliage.
• July: Fresh new foliage. Water in dry weather.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant. Apply leaf mould.
• December: Rest.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name Jacob’s ladder refers to the leaves: the paired leaflets look like the rungs of a ladder, like the ladder in the biblical story of Jacob.
• The species name reptans means ‘creeping’, although the plant actually forms a loose clump with arching stems.
• In the wild it grows in moist woodland in the east of North America.