Bean plants reaching for the sky

In the late spring I always plant scarlet runner beans. These plants produce large green bean pods. If you let the beans dry up on the vines, they are great in soups. Or you can pick them earlier and prepare like any string bean.

But I tend to just like to grow them for their lovely green foliage and pretty red blossoms. See in the photo above how one of the bean vines is climbing up to the top of the obelisk!

Red scarlet runner flowers about to bloom, later developing into beans.