Polemonium caeruleum 'Bambino Blue'

RHS Plant Profile
Jacob's ladder 'Bambino Blue'

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Polemonium caeruleum 'Bambino Blue'?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
Plants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial
Buy this from Plant Nurseries
2 Suppliers

A compact clump-forming perennial to 45cm tall, with light to mid-green to green leaves composed of leaflets, and upright stems bearing clusters of bell shaped violet-blue flowers that appear in spring and summer

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Polemoniaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus
Polemonium can be annuals or herbaceous perennials or upright or spreading habit, with pinnate leaves and usually clustered, tubular, bell, or funnel-shaped flowers
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in in any fertile well-drained but moist soil in full sun or partial shade

Propagation

Sow seeds in containers in a cold frame in autumn or spring or divide in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Cut back to base in autumn

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildew