Feature
- QTY: 20 SEEDS
- Other Names: Common Hops
- Zone: 3 to 8
- Humulus lupulus is a dioecious, rhizomatous, twining, perennial vine which grows rapidly and vigorously to 15 to 25 feet long each year by mid-summer. Humulus lupulus is most commonly referred to as Hops. It can be pruned as a shrub but usually grown on a trellis. Hops (the dried ripe cones of the female flowers) of Humulus lupulus are commonly used by breweries as an ingredient to preserve and flavor beer. It can also be made into a soothing, relaxing tea or grown and enjoyed for its luxurious, abundant foliage.
- Although frequently referred to as the hop "vine", it is technically a bine; unlike vines, which use tendrils, suckers, and other appendages for attaching themselves, bines have stout stems with stiff hairs to aid in climbing. It is a perennial herbaceous plant which sends up new shoots in early spring and dies back to the cold-hardy rhizome in autumn. Hop shoots grow very rapidly and at the peak of growth can grow 8 to 20 inches per week. Hop bines climb by wrapping clockwise around anything within reach, and individual bines typically grow between 7 to 50 feet depending on what is available to grow on. The coarsely serrated leaves are opposite, with a 3 to 5 inch Petiole and a cordate-based, palmately lobed blade 5 to 10 inches. When the hop bines run out of material to climb, horizontal shoots sprout between the leaves of the main stem to form a network of stems wound round each other. Male and female flowers of the hops plant develop on separate plants (dioecious). Greenish female flowers are borne in small, bracted spikes resembling cones which mature in late summer. Flowers emit a pine-like fragrance and are attractive to butterflies. Female plants, which produce the hops flowers used in brewing beer, often are grown in the absence of male plants. This prevents pollination and the development of viable seeds which are considered undesirable for brewing beer.
Product Detail
Product Description
Growth Rate: Fast Plant Type: Vine Family: Cannabaceae Native Range: British Isles Height: 15 to 25 feet Spread: 3 to 6 feet Shape: Climbing Vine Bloom Time: September - October Bloom Color: Green Flower/Fruit: Dioecious; Male and female plants. Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade Fall Color: None Drought Tolerance: Moderate Water: Medium Maintenance: Low Site Requirements/Soil Tolerances: Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, rich soils, but has some tolerance for drought. Prefers full sun in northern climates, but needs some shade in the deep South to prevent leaf color from bleaching. Culture: Needs a support structure on which to climb. Dies to the ground each winter, so stems may be pruned to the ground in autumn after a hard frost. Uses: Good foliage vine for trellises and arbors. Incorporate into an herb garden. Good screen that will rapidly cover unattractive structures. Sowing Humulus lupulus Seeds: For best results, please follow the instructions in the order provided. Scarify: Soak in water 12 Hours Stratify: Cold 30 days, 40 Degrees F in a Moist Medium (not wet). Germination: Sow 1/16" Deep, Keep moist (Not wet).