Runner bean
Phaseolus coccineus
Also called Beans and Scarlet runner
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitWater hard once they flower — that's when the pods set, and a dry spell drops the lot. Runners feel it worst.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 3 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun
- Feed
- Once a fortnight
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Tender — no frost at all RHS H2, to 1°C
- Size
- 3.25 m tall · 1.25 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- Central America
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleHarmful if eaten
Raw pods and raw beans (phytohaemagglutinin). Safe to eat: pods and beans, cooked.
Checked against ASPCA, RHS and Clemson HGIC on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Dense black specks packed around the growing tip and under the youngest leaves, with ants patrolling the stem below them.Blackfly · pest
- A young plant gone at the stem overnight, or the first leaves holed and a silver trail up the cane.Slugs and snails · pest
- Flowers open, colour well and drop without a pod behind them during a hot dry spell — the root is dry, not the bees absent.Flower drop · disorder