The Dolichos, commonly called “Flowering Bean” or “Hyacinth Bean” is a most satisfactory summer flowering annual with so many desirable qualities that they should be more generally grown. The plants are very drought resistant, and not particular as to soil. The foliage is bean-like, clean, attractive as to form and color and seems to have no enemies. The blossoms are abundant, fragrant long stemmed and good as cut flowers. There are white purple, rosy-lavender and violet red blossoms the plants are climbers, medium tall or dwarf as to size.
Probably the best known of the Dolichos are the white and purple climbers. The purple variety has dark, purplish-green foliage with purple stems and seed pods. The foliage of the white flowered ‘variety is light green and the seed pods are whitish-green. The seed pods are almost as decorative as the flowers. Once, thinking it a shame the beans had no use other than a decoration, I cooked some of the shelled beans, but found them most unpalatable! The stems vary in length from 10 to 19 inches with sweet pea shaped blossoms on nearly half the length of the stem. The long stems hold the blossoms out away from the foliage. The climbing type quickly makes a dense shade for a porch, or is happy on a wire fence, where it makes a wall of green spiked with color.
The medium height form, up to six feet, has been less floriferous and more leafy than the climbing type in my experience. There is a lovely, rosy-lavender, and white in the medium-tall type. The pods and foliage of the rosy-lavender are much darker green than that of the white flowering Dolichos. Both need support.
The dwarf type is fine in the border and comes in the three colors mentioned above and each has the same characteristics as its taller sister of the same color. They are really dwarf, and carry their blossoms well above the leaves, on long stems. They need no support, whatever.
The various Dolichos remain in bloom from mid-summer until frost. When the blossoms fall the long stems do not die, but go on producing more buds and bloom.
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