When I needed a fast cover for a new fence this summer, I got out an envelope of purple hyacinth bean seeds I had gathered on a sunny autumn day six years ago. The seeds sprouted quickly, and the ...

How could you not love a bean called lablab? Originating in Africa but cultivated in India since Neolithic times, the hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab) has fed humans and livestock for millenniums. It’s ...

Q: The last two years I've had trouble with purple hyacinth beans. They grow but are green like a pole bean -- not purple. I've tried two different sources with the same result. In the past, I've ...

Maybe you can't have your cake and eat it too, but you can grow wonderfully ornamental vegetables and then consume a tasty harvest. Among the most attractive veggies are colorful varieties of peppers, ...

I am convinced that the hyacinth bean, Lablab purpureus, is a plant meant for kids. This annual bean has seeds that look like Oreo cookies, and what kid doesn't like Oreos? These seeds are black with ...

Dear Roger: I grew this vine from a seed pod given to me. Can you tell me what this is called? Also, how do I save seeds for next year? Do I keep the purple pods till they shrivel up on the vine, or ...

Q: Are hyacinth beans actually edible beans or just seeds? A: They're edible in theory, but they're so hard, starchy and blah-tasting that who'd want to? Save a few of these lima-sized seeds to plant ...

A hyacinth bean doesn’t fall far from the vine, both figuratively and literally. From vine to bean pod, from leaf to flower, the colorful Thomas Jefferson vine – as we call it in Virginia – has a ...