Hyacinth Bean Vine

Purple hyacinth bean is an easy to grow vine that blooms in mid summer. It quickly grows over a trellis or obelisk. The plants likes a fair amount of water but it doesn't like to be in wet soil. This annual plant has dark green leaves with pinkish-white flowers.

After flowering the bean is a purple colour. Both the pod and bean are said to be edible but I've never tried the. The seed can cause gastrointestinal problems unless boiled thoroughly before eating. The blooms will attract bees and butterflies. The colour of the seed pods also leads to lots of conversation between visitors to your garden.

Soak the seeds overnight before planting and plant about 2.5 cm (1 inch) deep in a full sun location. Plant indoors about 2 to 3 weeks before planting outside. Or you can plant directly into the ground after all traces of frost are gone and the ground has warmed up. Seeds take up to 2 weeks to germinate. If you leave the seed pods on the vine they will dry and self seed and may possible grow again next year.

Have fun growing these interesting beans.

Rudbekia

Rudbeckia or Black Eyed Susans are a long lasting plant.

They grow about 45 to 100 cm. high in full sun and will tolerate dry conditions. It is sometimes listed as a perennial or a hardy biennial. This is a plant you very often see growing wild along the sides of roads and in fields.

Blooms appear towards the end of June and last right through to fall. The plant will attract butterfiles.

This bud is just about to unfurl.


And throughout the garden they will be moving gently in the breeze.
Be sure to continually snip off the spent blooms to encourage more.

At the end of the season let bloom dry out on plant.

After the flower petals fall off, pick the seed head. Running your thumb nail along the seedpod will give you the tiny rudbekia seeds.



I also just tuck the seedpods in among the remaining stems of the plants and it will reseed itself the following year.

Leaving the seedpods on the plant over the winter will provide food for the birds. The plant will also self seed itself.