I have Broad Beans, Runner Beans, French Beans, Italian Beans (Fagioli Rampicante) etc, etc. I also have some fairly unusual beans sent to me by a reader of my blog (You know who I am referring to, Jude), such as the "Veitch's" ones I am trying for the first time. These are my Runners:-
As well as being good to eat, Beans are also very decorative, so I offer you here a selection of photos that demonstrate this and illustrate the transition from flower to bean.
The flowers are produced in big clusters on long stems like this:
The flowers are evidently very attractive to bees, who on their visits in search of nectar pollinate them.
Unless the flowers are pollinated, when the petals fade that is the end - as for those at the base of the
cluster in the next photo, where you can see bare stems.
But if the bees have done their thing though, a little bean will emerge from the fading bloom:
These beans grow very rapidly as long as sufficient water is available.
Within a couple of weeks they will be big enough to eat. I hope to be able to show you this soon!
Unfortunately it is not only the bees that find Runner Bean flowers attractive, so I have already had to spray them:
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| Blackfly infestation on Runner Bean flowers |
Oh wow Mark. Those photos are awesome, you can really see the baby beans growing, I have never really thought about it. All I ever do is wonder if they are big enough, or still small enough to eat.
ReplyDeleteOh no the dreaded black fly, thankfully they missed my broad beans this year, I do hope it is the same for my runners.
ReplyDeleteMetamorphois of a bean...how very interesting! Great shots, Mark.
ReplyDeleteLove it! A reminder to "bee kind" to bees.
ReplyDeleteVelva
I hope I don't regret saying this but blackfly are one pest we seem not to be plagued by!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen orange flowers like that -- beautiful! My pole beans here in Minnesota are growing so well but haven't started flowering yet. And for some reason only a few bush beans came up, but the ones that did have turned into huge plants with dozens and dozens and dozens of flowers each -- and I've got the baby beans coming, now!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photographs Mark. I love the way you have captured the progress of the bean from flower to fruiting. Wonderful. Don't you just love the bees.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're giving them a go Mark! How are they performing?
ReplyDelete