Bianca des Spagna-or whatever they call it.

[Hristo]

I have waited to see how my plants will set after it warmed up. The early set (back then the temps were low), was OK, which is better than none past (warmer) years. Now when it is around 30 C (which still is not very hot) the set is still OK. So probably low temps are more crucial for the early set. That is understandable for a runner bean.

[bunkie]

so far, our Spagna Blanco Bean plants are running up and over our teepees and just loaded with blossoms. the bees are all over them. however, just have spotted a couple of tiny beans. we've been exorbitantly hot in the 90's for weeks now. will be cooling off a bit and then back up there. curious to see what happens when we cool down...

[nuts]

Mine didn't have any setting,but the weather cooled down since a week or so.
temps in the afternoon are around 25C (77F).
I noticed some setting.,I think,but have to wait to see if it is real.
One of my 10 plants have red flowers.
My tipi is sure one of the the most decorative bean-tipi you have seen.
Everyone who visit my garden is impressed by my 'magic' beans,also because they're up to over 20 feet now.This combination of white and red flowers is a rocker!
Not sure if I do them again next year,I want to see beans!
I'll try to save the beans of the spagna rocha(if any) I marked the plant at the base but it won't be easy to follow the stems up to the top where the plants are completely entangled.I'll let know if I succeed to save some beans from the red flowered spagna blanca.

some pics

this was the tipi on 7 july
The left half is spagna blanca,the right half is stokkevits(from grunt too)


this is the same tipi on 11august,the spagna blanca is over 20' but stokkevits is doing very well and catching up.It has lots of beans (contrary to SB)


incredibly decorative

[grunt]

If you have a reasonably long fall, you will likely get plenty of beans from the SB. I was despairing of getting any at all in early August last year, but ended up getting enough to do some sharing.
I have another runner bean Frijol Aluvia Gordo, which starts out with white flowers, switches to red blossoms, then switches back to white ones, all on the same vines. It only set 3 pods last year, and doesn't look like it is going to do much better this year. I have so far spotted one definite pod, about 8' up. This is a variety that had so much foliage last year, it snapped its support pole, and the reinforcing pole I had added = but still only gave me 3 pods.

[nuts]

Well,there was not only some setting on SB but also,the setting was massive!
If all these beans grow up,there will be a good harvest.
I just start to have another concern: with another two months, or so, to go, things are going to be HEAVY!
When I put up my bambou pole I didn't realize things could get so wicked.
It's bending somewhat allready......

[grunt]

You have your own "Leaning Tower of Pisa". You can take heart in the fact that it probably won't hurt the plants if/when it decides it cannot stay upright any longer.

[michaeljohnson]

My spagna Blanca are now going from strength to strength they have took on a new lease of life since the heavy august rains, and are flowering profusely (Again)!!! and setting beans like hell all over the place, I have lots of beans now from them-picked half a plastic carrier bag full of them this morning "Whey-hey"-Bingo.

By the way Dan, did you get any long beans as yet from the Jescot or the other one, the Jescots are easy to spot on the vine as they tend to be a curly spiral shape, the other ones seem to be as straight as a die and quite long I have pulled a few this morning 18" inches long or more-they were either the Robinson's or the Brittania's as I cant get low enough to read the labels on the plants as yet amongst the foliage.

[nuts]

We had a good wind.
You guess..what had to happen happened.
The bamboo did CRACK!!!



I guess this will affect the yield,but probably most of the beans will still grow out

[michaeljohnson]

The white Spagna beans are still flowering profusely and it is now October- personally I have never seen a been that continues to flower for such a long period before- right from the end of May right through until now- and they are covered in been right now-which more than made up for earlier disappointments on the first flowering.

[michaeljohnson]

These beans continue to amaze me, the first frosts of winter have now struck hard in my area, it killed off all my other runner beans etc, and totally withered the plants-but guess what,- the Spagna beans are still standing practically untouched buy the frost, and still with flowers on them too-obviously the flowers will not set now as there are no more bees around.

But it does show that these beans do have some measure of frost resistance- but I fully expect that as the frosts get heavier it will eventually kill them off.

[nuts]

These purplish beans are from the red flowered plant.

Interesting,because this plants,compared to the regular sb had a better development(highest climber) and a higher yield.

grunt,do you think it's a cross with stokkevits?

As I planted stokkevits and spagna blanca on the same tipi next year I can expect more of these crosses.I will for sure go on with these.

[grunt]

If it's a cross it likely isn't Stokkeivits, as they were some distance away. Not all that far from Kew Blue, if memory serves. I have the layout chart on the other computer, and will check out possibilities this evening.
Definitely keep following this one. The cross may be a bit easier setting than the original.