Hyacinth Bean Vine Is Fast and Easy to Grow

Nutritious yet slightly poisonous, tropical yet ideal as an annual in temperate gardens, fast-growing yet not invasive—that’s the hyacinth bean vine (Dolichos lablab or Lablab purpureus), one of the easiest plants to grow for food or for decoration.

Is hyacinth bean vine poisonous to dogs?

Is hyacinth bean vine poisonous to dogs? Yes, the hyacinth bean vine pods are toxic to dogs. The toxins are most concentrated in the pods of the plant.

Is hyacinth bean vine annual or perennial?

Hyacinth bean is an annual vine, but it is still capable of growing 12 to 15 feet in a season. It is a twining vine. Twining vines climb by twisting their stems or leaf stalks around a support. This type of vine grows well on trellises, arbors, wires, or chain-link fences.

Is hyacinth bean vine toxic?

Are Hyacinth Beans Poisonous? There is one drawback to growing hyacinth beans as part of a vegetable plot. While you can enjoy the young shoots or the blooms as salad extras or edible garnishes, the mature or dried beans are toxic. The culprit is the mature hyacinth bean’s cyanogenic glucoside levels.

Do hummingbirds like hyacinth bean vine?

Its flowers are beautiful and fragrant which and attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and it even produces edible leaves, flowers, pods, seeds and roots.

What does a hyacinth bean vine look like?

A vigorous, ornamental, annual vine, purple hyacinth bean plant (Dolichos lablab or Lablab purpurea), displays beautiful, pinkish-purple blossoms and interesting, reddish-purple pods that grow to be about the same size as lima bean pods.

How do you plant a hyacinth bean vine?

Plant when temperatures warm in the spring and nights are above 50℉. Plant hyacinth bean seeds 1 inch deep and 6 inches apart. Soak seeds for 6-8 hours before planting to speed germination. If the weather gets too cold, the plants will slow or stop growing until temperatures warm.

Do hyacinths like sun or shade?

Sun or Shade: For the largest flowers and straightest stems, plant your hyacinths in full sun. The bulbs will also flower in light shade or half-day sun. Hardiness Zone: Hyacinths are winter hardy in growing zones 4-8. In warmer climates, the bulbs need to be pre-chilled before planting.

Will hyacinth bean grow in part shade?

They will grow in partial shade but they won’t produce as many flowers and pods. They need rich, well-drained soil. They also like to be moist.

Do hyacinths come back every year?

Hyacinths are perennials, so you can plant them once and they’ll come back every spring. Hyacinths are easier to grow than other spring bulbs, and they can be forced indoors in pots or a bulb vase. Most hyacinths need a chill to bloom, so they do best in areas where winter temperatures are consistently in the 30s.

Do deer eat hyacinth bean vines?

Deer and birds are attracted to these pods. High in protein and vitamin B complex, hyacinth beans have been eaten for centuries all around the world. Because of toxins in the mature beans, hyacinth bean must be cooked thoroughly before eating.

How do you cook hyacinth beans?

They have to be cooked. That means boiling soft raw mature beans or roasting as heat drives away the toxin. If they have dried — read they are hard — that means soaking overnight then boiling them a long time in a lot of water. Or, boil unsoaked dry beans in a lot of water twice.

How do you prune hyacinth beans?

When flowers being to slow, it is time for hyacinth bean pruning to rejuvenate the vines and hopefully get another burst of growth and flowers. Cut plants back to within 6 inches (15 cm.) of the ground. New sprouts should form and grow quickly.

What kind of vines attract hummingbirds?

One fast way to attract hummingbirds is to plant a hummingbird vine. There are two vines that are often called the “Hummingbird Vine”. They are the “Cypress Vine” (Ipomoea) and the “Trumpet Vine” (Campsis radicans). The “Cypress Vine” is an annual in colder zones.

Does hummingbird vine come back every year?

Just because annual hummingbird vine starts new each year, don’t think you’ll be lacking blossoms. This Central American native grows quickly from seed, flowering in as few as 45 days. A mass of 1 1/2-inch, cardinal-red trumpets blankets the fine, feathery foliage from midspring until the end comes in late fall.

Is hummingbird vine invasive?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists the vine as an invasive weed. But they’re a lovely plant if used carefully. A trumpet vine is an excellent pick for a pollinator or hummingbird garden, attracting swarms of winged creatures all summer. You’ll have rafts of flowers for months, too.