There's a T-shirt making the rounds at the flower shows, and on the front it reads, "Friends don't let friends grow annuals." Let's agree not to be gardening snobs, shall we?

The fabulous hyacinth bean should be grown on a support, like this fence. It makes a gorgeous display in summer, and its seeds are gatherable and plantable for next year's crop.

HYACINTH BEAN SEED SOURCES At area garden centers or: • thegrowers-exchange.com • monticellostore.stores.yahoo.net • southernexposure.com • naturehills.com • swallowtailgardenseeds.com

Yes, annuals can be considered garish and tacky, and serious plantspeople tend to shy away from them. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have a few pots of coleus or New Guinea impatiens around to liven up a patio or deck. Sometimes you need a shot of color.

And if you have a bare lamp post or fence that needs a bit of dressing up, consider the hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus), an annual vine you will love.

Blooming in mid summer and well into the fall, the hyacinth bean has luscious, lush, dark purple/green foliage with purple veins. The flowers are dark pink and fragrant and resemble a pea's. It's easy to grow. And if those characteristics weren't enough to recommend it, shiny purple seed pods develop in late summer to add another bit of texture and color on whatever structure you have it trained.

It's not too late to plant hyacinth bean seeds now. Follow the instructions on the seed packet. Before long, you will have beautiful, trailing, dense vines that your neighbors and friends will go ga-ga over.

Yet, it gets better. You can harvest the seed pods and plant your own seeds next year. One of the joys of gardening is sharing, and you'll be so enamored of the hyacinth bean that you'll want to share the unusual black and white seeds with all of your gardening pals, even the snobs.