Helping You Become a More Successful Gardener
Plant Search
James H. Schutte
Fabaceae
Phaseolus coccineus 'Painted Lady'
Painted Lady Scarlet Runner Bean, Scarlet Runner Bean
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
Grown for its beautiful bi-colored blooms and edible beans, the Painted Lady scarlet runner bean relishes summertime warmth and humidity. This bean is native to the mountainous regions of Central America and is thought to have been cultivated as a food crop for nearly 2,000 years. Selection 'Painted Lady' is considered an English heirloom, and was even grown and admired by President Thomas Jefferson at his Monticello home around the year 1800. Scarlet runner bean, or case-knife bean, is a tender perennial vine with brilliant red and white flowers. All parts of the plant are edible. The flowers are beautiful as a garnish, new pods can be eaten whole, and mature beans eaten fresh or dried. Even the starchy tuberous roots can be cooked and enjoyed like potatoes.
Runner bean leaves are trifoliate (three-leaved) with broadly oval, dark green leaflets. Mature vines produce showy flowers typical of peas or beans. The coral- to scarlet-red flowers of 'Painted Lady' have lower smaller petals (called falls) which form a keeled beak. The falls are white to faint pink. They are produced in clusters on short stalks among the foliage. The flowers are self-fertile but require a visit from bees or hummingbirds for pollination and fruit set.
Long bean pods filled with six to ten large beans are produced in profusion. The beans themselves vary in shape, but are often brown and mottled. Some plants do not produce flowers or fruit in the first year from seed but will if planted as tubers.
Plant 'Painted Lady' in full sun and fertile, evenly moist, well-drained garden soil. It is cold sensitive so plant after the soil has warmed and all danger of frost has passed. Seeds should be sown directly in the soil (beans do not transplant well) at a depth about three times their width. Tossing the seeds in a commercially available inoculant (Rhizobium inoculums) may be beneficial, but is not essential for success. In tropical zones, runner beans are a perennial crop. Plenty of water is required for good fruit set, but excessive water will cause root rot. Like pole beans, the vines can reach great lengths and require trellising. Harvest beans every few days to keep vines fruitful for longer. Frost kills the plant. Where not hardy, the tuberous roots may also be lifted and stored like dahlias
The beautiful hummingbird-attracting flowers of scarlet runner bean add charm to any trellis or fence in a flower or vegetable garden. Be sure to protect against Mexican bean beetles, which consume the foliage of all garden beans.
11 - 1
8 - 11
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Vegetable
Full Sun, Partial Sun
8'-20' / 2.4m - 6.1m
Indeterminate
Central America
Neutral
Well Drained
Clay, Loam, Sand
Fast
Average Water
Vining/Climbing
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Showy
White, Red, Light Pink, Coral
Bicolor
Green, Tan, Brown
Green, Dark Green
No
Single
Yes
Medium
Matte
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border, Tropical, Vine
Sometimes
Hummingbirds
© 2006-2012 Preferred Commerce. All Rights Reserved.
