'Brise d'Anjou' Polemonium (Polemoniaceae caeruleum 'Brise d'Anjou)--also known as Variegated Jacob's Ladder--is the answer to a gardener's prayer for bringing new life to the shade garden. Native to France, polemoniums thrive in partial to full shade and fertile, moist, well-drained soil. This hybrid grows to 18-24 inches tall and as wide and bears violet-blue flowers in late spring to midsummer. A centerpiece plant, to be sure.