Hyacinth Bean Seeds

Lilac Blooms, Red Stems, and Ruby-Purple Beans!
3-inch pods are brilliantly colored.
Genus: Dolichos
Species: lablab
Item Form: (P) Pkt of 25 seeds
Bloom Start To End: Early Summer – Late Summer
Fruit Color: Purple
Habit: Vining
Seeds Per Pack: 25
Plant Height: 10 ft
Plant Width: 12 in – 24 in
Additional Characteristics: Bird Lovers, Bloom First Year, Butterfly Lovers, Free Bloomer, Heirloom, Long Bloomers, Soil Builder, Trellises, Direct Sow, Easy Care Plants, Flower
Bloom Color: Lavender
Foliage Color: Medium Green
Harvest Season: Late Summer
Light Requirements: Full Sun
Moisture Requirements: Moist,  well-drained
Resistance: Humidity Tolerant, Heat Tolerant
Soil Tolerance: Clay, Normal,  loamy
Uses: Beds, Outdoor, Vines and Climbers

A beautiful twining legume, this entire plant is ornamental — the deep red stems and glossy veiny foliage bear an airy cascade of delicate, inch-long lilac-rose blossoms. Ruby-purple beanpods, 3 inches long, arise beneath the flowers over a long season. For a colorful ornamental display, Hyacinth Bean is unsurpassed!

The blooms arise all summer, and the beans mature in 80 days from a spring sowing in full sun. Give this plant something to climb and watch it take off! It reaches 10 feet tall.

Thomas Jefferson popularized the Hyacinth Bean in the United States when he began growing it in his garden in 1804. (One of the plantsmen he dealt with brought it from Europe, though it is originally native to Africa.) It is still grown at Monticello today!

Although the beans are edible, they must be cooked a particular way, so it is NOT recommended for eating. Instead, harvest the seedpods right before first frost, and share the seeds with friends! And of course, because Hyacinth Bean is a legume, the plant is a nitrogen-fixer, invaluable in the garden. Chop it up and till it back into the soil at season’s end to improve next year’s garden!

Direct-sow Hyacinth Bean if possible, waiting until the soil is reasonably warm in spring. Or, if your season is short, begin it indoors, but transplant the seedling as quickly as possible once temperatures are above freezing and the soil has started to warm. This is an annual bean, easy to grow and beautiful over a very long season. You will be so glad you tried it! Pkt is 25 seeds.