I soon learned to plant even more vines like Eileen had so the deer could feast on the bounty too. The first year I grew them they took over the entire back porch. This was the beginning of my love affair with Scarlet Runner beans, an affair that continues into the present. These were heirloom seeds that Eileen had been given by her own mother. I had been a gardener all my life – how had I missed learning about such a plant?īy the time I left Eileen’s house that afternoon I had a whole handful of shiny deep mauve and black kidney shaped beans in my hand for next year’s planting. As we peeked into the plethora of leaves I was delighted to see small green beans developing from the flowers and was told that these beans were delicious to eat, especially when picked while still young. As we wandered down the fence line Eileen told me that she had grown up in the south and had been surrounded by these vines since she was a child she was then a woman in her late sixties. Returning to ordinary time, and gathering my wits about me, I asked my new friend about the vine and was only then I was formerly introduced to the magnificent Scarlet Runner bean. I lost time in the blue and gold mountain field in Western Maine as I stood there astonished and bewildered by such abundance and beauty. To say I was transfixed by the sight is an understatement. The vines were massive, at least 12 to 15 feet high and at least 100 feet long, and I could see and hear the sound of joyful ruby throated hummingbirds as they buzzed from one blossom to another as millions of bees, swallowtails, and monarchs swooped through the air lighting upon loose tendrils that were attempting to find purchase somewhere by climbing on the backs of their neighbors. Eileen left an eight foot arch open by tying back some of the vines for an entrance. ( Phaseolus coccineus) – photo from my gardenĪbout 30 years ago I was visiting a neighbor for the first time early one August when I spied the most extraordinary vine of brilliant orange pea sized flowers cascading from an emerald climber that stretched across the entire wire wall of a huge vegetable garden.
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