Plant, Tree & Shrub Library

Other Names:  syn. Dolichos purpureus

Description:

A beautiful vine that is fast and easy to grow; pretty purple and white pea flowers followed by striking ruby-red bean pods in summer; attractive blue-green and burgundy foliage; excellent for trellises or cascading over garden walls

Ornamental Features

Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean has clusters of purple pea-like flowers with white overtones at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid fall. The fruits are showy ruby-red pods carried in abundance from late summer to mid fall. Its heart-shaped leaves emerge grayish green in spring, turning bluish-green in color with distinctive burgundy veins throughout the season. The burgundy stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean is an herbaceous annual with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting birds and bees to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. As a climbing vine, it should either be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.