Hops For Gardeners

The best use of Hops for gardeners is in the brewing of beer but there are some garden uses worth considering as you quaff your ale after a days gardening.

Common Hops, Humulus lupulus grow vigorously to 20 feet or more in a season. The heart shaped leaves over lap the stems and the plant makes a good screening climber. The female plants produce straw coloured flowering bracts. Golden Hops ‘Aureus’ is not as vigourous and has soft golden foliage that looks good in sunshine. Frost tender Japanese Hops grow 12 feet in a season and can be used to make a screen to set off other  brightly coloured flowering plants. Nobel Hops refers to four varieties for beer producingtion which are low in bitterness and high in aroma Hallertau, Tettnanger, Spalt, and Saaz named after the region.

Plant where you need a dense green screen during summer against a wire fence or as a separator between one area of the garden and another. Space about 6 feet apart as the plants are quick spreading. Train some tendrils laterally by hand or they will ‘reach for the skies’. For a feature you can grow a hop up a tall pole like farmers do. Hops can be grown up through old crab apple or fruit trees. Propagate in winter or early spring by digging around an established hop and transplanting stems with good roots. Japanese Hops can be grown annually from seed.

Uses other than Beer

• Spent hops from a brewery can be used to improve soil condition. They contain no real nutrient and will not fertilize the soil.
• Flowers or bracts can be used as garlands of decoration.
• In spring the young tender shoots can be picked and eaten in a salad.
• Pillows filled with Hops are said to help with insomnia, add some Valerian or Lavender as well.