Polemonium reptans x yezoense Heaven Scent

This new Heaven Scent hybrid Polemonium is one of the prettiest Greek Valerian varieties obtained in recent years. In spring, the plant is adorned with a superb foliage tinged with purple-chocolate, with a light appearance, topped with dark floral stems that form a wonderful contrast with its numerous small, very bright, tender blue flowers. This variety is also distinguished by its floribundity. Give this wonderful perennial a sunny or semi-shaded exposure, as well as a fresh and light soil that is preferably humus-rich.

Polemonium Heaven Scent, sometimes called Jacob's Ladder, belongs to the Polemoniaceae family. It is a horticultural hybrid resulting from cross-breeding between Polemonium reptans, a species native to North America, and P. yezoense, native to Japan. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that forms a clump of about 40 cm (16 in) in all directions over a period of 3 to 5 years. In spring, dark purple foliage emerges from the ground, gradually unfolding into leaves tinged with brown-purple. Like all polemoniums, this plant is distinguished by its fern-like foliage, displaying dozens of small leaflets inserted perpendicularly to the central vein, like the rungs of a ladder. In 'Heaven Scent', in May-June, brown stems shaded with black rise above the foliage, bearing generous clusters of bell-shaped flowers with five petals, of a pastel blue-mauve, whose fragrance evokes that of grapes for some people. The heart of each flower reveals orange stamens when covered in pollen. In summer, at the end of flowering, the foliage turns dark green. The above-ground vegetation dries up in winter.

This charming Polemonium 'Heaven Scent' will thrive in any type of soil that is rich in loam or humus and rich, light, and fresh. Plant it in a mixed border or in a massif in association with heucheras with golden or lime-green foliage (Heuchera Lime Marmalade), lady's mantle, anemones, liverworts, and violets, with which it will form delightful combinations. This variety prefers sunny to semi-shaded exposures. It blends well with different colours of foliage and flowers, and adapts well to wooded gardens, rockeries, along paths, or placed prominently as a specimen in a container, its celestial flowering attracting attention above the light and dark mass of its foliage.