Hops

Description:

A common and somewhat utilitarian vine, with cone-shaped clusters of yellowish fruits which are used in beer making; very tough and adaptable, good for screening or a quick cover, needs structural support, cut back to the ground each spring

Ornamental Features:

Hops has attractive green foliage throughout the season. The fuzzy lobed leaves are ornamentally significant but do not develop any appreciable fall colour. The flowers are not ornamentally significant. It produces abundant clusters of yellow hop-like fruit from mid summer to mid fall.

Landscape Attributes:

Hops is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a high maintenance vine that will require regular care and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Invasive

Hops is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Hedges/Screening
• Container Planting

Plant Characteristics:

Hops will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. As a climbing vine, it tends to be leggy near the base and should be underplanted with low-growing facer plants. It should be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This vine should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments.

This species is not originally from North America.