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Hyacinth Bean Vine Ruby Moon Seed
Dolichos - lablab
$2.99

Item #1114

Annual. Blooms in summer. 6' to 20' vine. Full sun. Purple stems with dark green leaves and purple flower clusters, followed by eye-catching velvety purple bean pods. Makes an attractive fast growing screen. This exotic tropical looking vine can be grown up arbors, trellises, fences, in hanging baskets, or as a groundcover. It is used as an important forage crop in the tropics. The immature bean pods are edible, but probably not as good tasting as many other garden beans. The purple color will turn green when cooked. Mature bean seeds may be eaten, but they must be boiled and drained at least twice to discard the toxic cyanogenic glucosides. We do not recommend eating them. The common name is misleading, as Hyacinth Beans are not true beans. But, like beans, they are a member of the pea family. The Hyacinth Bean Vine requires well-drained soil to thrive and is much more drought tolerant than other bean varieties.

When to plant outside: Sow in spring after average last day of frost. (Recommended)

When to start inside: Sow 6-8 weeks before last spring frost. Difficult to transplant - use extreme care (such as pulp pots) to avoid disturbing roots.

Special Germination Instructions: Soak seeds in water for 24 hours before planting.

Photo on upper left: "I just wanted to share this image of my hyacinth bean vine from last year. This picture was taken on a 2nd story porch, just to show that the vine did reach the 20-25-foot height boasted on the seed packet. It was absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to have them in my garden again this year.� --- Stephanie Schlaifer Photo on Left: I don't consider myself a "gardner", I just like to work in my yard. I have been planting Hyacinth Bean Vines for about 5 years now. I always plant the seeds around my brick mailbox, mainly to hide the big eyesore. Every year cars stop and ask about my vine. Believe it or not but there's a 4 ft. tall/2 ft. wide brick mailbox under that vine. I love this plant! I've attached a picture. Please feel free to share the picture with visitors to your site. Susan