Seeds Flower (Hedera helix)

This white-flowered Hyacinth Bean is an ornamental showstopper, clothing a trellis or arch in lush green foliage topped with elongated clusters of fragrant, pea-like white blooms. The flowers give way to glossy pods carrying a handsome purple flush, making it one of the most decorative twining vines you can grow for screening, shade or vertical colour through the warm season.

Planting

Sow directly outdoors after the last cold spell once nighttime temperatures stay reliably above about 10 C, or start indoors roughly four weeks earlier and transplant when frost danger passes. First scarify the hard seed coat by nicking it or rubbing with sandpaper, then soak the seeds in water for 24 hours. Plant about 4 cm deep in well-draining soil; light is not needed for germination. In warm soil of about 21-27 C, seedlings emerge in roughly 14-21 days. Thin them to about 15 cm apart and give the vine a sturdy support at least 3-4.5 m tall in a full-sun spot with 6 or more hours of direct light.

Fertilizing

As a legume, this vine is not a heavy nitrogen feeder, so soil enriched with organic matter usually carries it well. When growing it for its ornamental flowers, apply a liquid feed every two weeks until blooming begins, then ease off.

Care

Keep the soil moist, watering well until germination, but never let it sit waterlogged as soggy conditions damage the roots. It tolerates clay, loam or sandy soils provided drainage is good. The vine is generally pest-free and disease-free, though Japanese beetles or bean beetles may occasionally chew the leaves. Fragrant flowers appear about 60-90 days after sowing, from summer into autumn. Important: raw seeds and mature pods are toxic; only young pods, thoroughly cooked, are edible.