Heritage Kitchen Garden: The Runner Bean

In the delicate art of linocut printmaking, every line tells a story. My latest piece captures the runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) in a design that celebrates the intricate dance of leaves, pods, and blossoms that define this quintessential kitchen garden plant.

At first glance, the print is a symphony of greens and reds - a deliberate choice that echoes the plant's natural palette. The deep forest green leaves dominate the composition, while each leaf overlaps and intertwines, creating a sense of depth and movement that reflects the runner bean's lush, climbing nature.

Carving the Narrative

This linocut is more than a botanical illustration - it's a meditation on form and texture. The carving process involved meticulously removing linoleum to create a complex interplay of positive and negative spaces. The green pods nestled among the leaves hint at the plant's dual nature: both ornamental and edible, both beautiful and practical.

Growing Your Own Piece of Heritage

For those inspired to grow runner beans, a few traditional tips can help you create your own garden magic:

• Plant in rich, well-drained soil after all frost risk has passed
• Create a classic British growing method: a double row of canes tied at the top to form an A-frame tunnel
• Water the roots, not the flowers
• Pick beans regularly to encourage more flowering

There's even a touch of Yorkshire folklore in bean planting - it's said traditionally, children would plant their beans upside down to ensure they grew to the otherworld, echoing the magical tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Each print in the Heritage Kitchen Garden collection is an invitation to look closer - to appreciate the extraordinary detail in the seemingly ordinary. The runner bean print captures not just a plant, but a whole ecosystem of growth, beauty, and cultural history.