‘Abundance’ Green Pole Bean
This variety lives up to its name. A really good bean from our trials in 2012, Abundance is early-cropping and makes large numbers of slightly flattened pods.
The flavour is excellent and we like them so much that we've added them to our home garden bean patch every year.
Large crops of green, flattened pods.
‘Cherokee Trail of Tears’ Pole Bean
This bean was originally from the native North American Cherokee people. In 1838 they were driven out of their homelands in the state of Georgia by the US government to make room for more European settlers , a forced march known as the 'Trail of Tears'. This bean is one of their heirlooms they managed to keep with them and has been passed on from generation to generation ever since.
We can see why the Cherokees valued it so much! It is incredibly prolific, cropping over a long season. We plant lots each year for our own use & feedback from all of you is always positive.
‘Cosse Violette’ Purple Pole Bean
A really vigorous early bean with purple flowers, stems & pods. (Note: the purple colour turns to green on cooking.
The special thing about these is that they stay stringless even to a big size, so it doesn't matter if you miss some or go away for a few weeks in the middle of the season. Lots of people have written in to say how much they like it.
Tall, with purple pods that stay stringless even when big.
‘Early Marvel of Venice’ Yellow Pole Bean
An early-cropping yellow pole bean, from northern Italy, with round pods, slightly flattened, that are a lovely light yellow colour.
There are actually two related versions of "Marvel of Venice" - this one, with white seeds, is particularly early to crop. There is another one with black seeds that ripens later , but we think this white seeded one is better for the UK.
It grows very tall so provide decent height canes - but then you also get a lot of beans!
‘Lazy Housewife’ Pole Bean - UNIQUE FAT BUTTERY BEANS
A prolific bean introduced by W. Atlee Burpee and Co in 1885 - from their original description: "the pods are green, entirely stringless, of extra fine flavor, exceedingly rich and buttery when cooked."
This is a late-cropping bean, so you definitely need to grow another type as well for the start of the season. But the beans are incredible; they have these huge fat white seeds that taste fantastic - all soft and buttery - when boiled. The pods stay stringless for a long time and you get a lots of them -it's just great. This was Ben's favourite bean in 2016.
In 1907 this was judged to be almost the very best flavoured bean on the market (sadly the one single variety that beat it is now extinct so we can't offer it.)
‘Princess’ Flat-podded Pole Bean - VERY RARE
This wonderful bean was recommended to us by Camilla Plum, seed collector and celebrity gardener from Denmark. She sent a few seed from her collection and explained that it was a very old variety that is no longer in circulation, and that it was unique because the pods stay tender for ages on the plant, even when they get fat and the beans have filled out.
We tried it here in Wales and it was really good with exceptionally tasty, big flattened pods.
Seed not available every year, so again do save your own for future use if you like it.
‘Coco Sophie’ Flat Pole Bean - RARE
A tall climbing bean from the late 1700s. With very flat pods, it looks like a runner, but really isn't, it's a proper french bean.We love this bean because it has an absolutely wonderful buttery texture when cooked and an excellent flavour.
After three hundred years, it became commercially unavailable in 2006. We brought this rare bean back, starting with a small sample from our seedbank. Not available every year, but if you like it - as we think you will - it's very easy to keep your own seed following the instructions supplied.
Beautiful white seeds, large buttery green pods.
‘Neckargold’ Yellow (usually) Pole Bean, Flat-podded
A delicious tender yellow climbing bean, it grows really tall , giving lots of long flat beans that start pale green and ripen to glowing yellow.
Even the plants show up the colour, with bright yellow stems. The yield is excellent, and they stay stringless even up to 8 inches long, staying tender for longer than other varieties. It is later than our other beans, definitely mid season, but this is useful to extend your bean crop after the others start to trail off.
Yellow, tasty, stringless, good yields of long beans. Beware may come out green in some conditions!
Green Bush -A DWARF YARD LONG BEAN!
This could well be the silliest plant in our catalogue - a dwarf bush yard-long bean. So you get short bushes with silly 12" - 15" pods growing from it.
An early-maturing variety more suitable for the UK. Best grown in a polytunnel or greenhouse unless you're in a warmer part of the country as they're heat loving plants. Harvest when the beans are still slender. You can leave them to get huge but they then won't be so tender.
We have seen that occasionally, a few of the plants can try to be tall; if that happens and you don’t want it, then just pinch out their growing tips to make them bush out.




