What Is a Runner Bean?
The runner bean is a plant that produces long, edible pods, and is a type of climbing vine that usually grows to about 6-feet (about 1.8 m) high. While the runner bean plant originally came from Central America, the beans are popular in the United Kingdom where they are grown to be eaten. In the United States, the plant is mainly grown for its beautiful flowers. Generally, runner beans tend to produce red flowers, which is why it is also sometimes called the scarlet runner bean. The flowers can also be white in color or a combination of red and white. Painted Lady varieties produce bi-colored flowers while the White Lady and White Apollo varieties produce white flowers. The runner bean’s flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, so gardeners who would like to attract birds to their garden could benefit from growing the beans.
