Polemonium Boreale

Description

Attractive clusters of sizeable violet-blue flowers, each with a distinct golden yellow eye, smother the wooly, grey, compact-bushy foliage, their dwarf habit making them ideal in the front of borders, or even containers. This very rare plant is native to the high arctic, and in Greenland it is found only in a small area on the east coast. The whole plant is pubescent, with long woolly hairs. In the wild this gem grows on gravelly slopes and in crevices. It will do best on a sharply-drained bed or even in a pot in the alpine house. Few seeds collected.

Sowing Advice

Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.

Key Facts