Well, I can't speak for Texas conditions, but they are great plants here in Michigan. It's pretty normal for them not to set a lot, or even hardly any, at first, then they get going later in the season and are productive. Overall yields are lower than P. vulgaris beans, but the flavor is great and I feel it's worth it.

Unless you've planted them really thick, you could probably just plant some regular pole beans right in with them and just let them slug it out -- you would most likely end up with some of both kinds yielding in the end.

I'm surprised to read that they were flowering when only 8 - 12 inches tall. Those are tiny babies. These things reach 12 plus FEET - how come they were flowering already? I know nothing about Texan weather but I'd be inclined to water them well and see how they get on. In my climate they are far more productive than P vulgaris and will crop continuously from June to October.

Scarlet Runners are an ancient cultivar of runner beans (P.coccineus) that do best in English type climates. There are many cultivars, some of which are supposedly more heat tolerant. While they are much more decorative than common beans (P. phaseolus)Big white, apricot, red blossoms, I gave up trying to grow them in the south.

'dilla is right, and when I gardened in the deep south I had no luch with P. coccineus. Now, in Z6, they do great.

But you can grow asparagus beans, which love heat! Red Noodle is pretty and delicious. They are the first blanched "snap bean" to be used up from our freezer, maybe because they hold their purple color through blanching and freezing.

Try the scarlet runners again in fall, planting in early Sept. They might surprise you.

Thanks all, I am going to let them hang out for a bit and see what happens, but hedge my bets by interplanting some more Kentucky wonder...
I tried to plant some asparagus beans and some chinese red noodle, and the plants came up all deformed looking. I thought I might have thrips from the looks of the leaves, but the rest of my plants didn't look the way when they sprouted...and there they sit at about 4-6 inches high, not growing or doing much of anything. Weird stuff these pole beans...

We grew them last year and they are pretty vigorous. I agree that they seem a bit small to be flowering already - would just stay the course and let them grow. Soon they will be taking over and you'll wonder why you every worried about them.

I live in Austin and gave the Red Scarlet Runner a shot too this year. I have 6 vigorous / healthy plants (4 growing up an 8' bean pole), but absolutely no production. Lots of flowers, but not a single bean. A hummingbird does like to visit them in the morning. I'm having a pretty bad year - same problem with my tomatillo plants and cukes.