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Hop (Beer Hop / Golden Hop)

Hop / Hops are healthy and fast growing twiners that can quickly cover large areas without causing structural damage. Hops are a good choice for inexpensive high greening, for down pipes, and balconies. For facades, however, there are better climbing plants (grapeless grapevines, for example). Hops are perennial and will last only one year (so there is no lignification); the nw shoots grow anew from the ground each year. They will die in autumn and then need to be removed from facades (the plant mass is a fire hazard), at least every 2 to 3 years. FassadenGrün offers pure female plants (beer hops) and the variety "Aureus" (golden hops).

>>> Price A / Price B 

Beer Hops - Humulus lupulus

Beer hops in summer
Beer hops in summer

To Thrive...

Hop plants need a semi-shaded to sunny location with well drained, moist, and nutrient-rich soil. Also grows well in containers. Planting distance: 0.8 - 1.5 metres.

  • Beer hops, Humulus lupulus - Price

  • Golden hops, Humulus lupulus Aureus - Price

Characteristics and Pruning

This is an extremely fast-growing twiner which does not lignify but dies back to the ground in autumn. New shoots appear again in very early spring, and the young asparagus-like shoots are edible. Can reach a height up to 12 metres. In warm temperatures the plant grows up to 1 metre per week! Leaf shape similar to grapevine, foliage from April to October. Another less vigorously growing species is the Japanese Hops Humulus scandens, an annual plant which propagates itself by seed. Hops is dioeceous, with female plants mainly being cultivated for beer hops production. The male flowers are inconspicuous panicles, the female ones catkins, and the famous fruit is light green. If necessary, thin out the young shoots in very early spring; in autumn remove remaining leaves and shoots with a rake.

Climbing Supports for the Facade

Hops can climb lightning conductors, downpipes, balconies, balustrades and railings, masts / poles, struts, and other already existing climbing supports. Obviously hops grows well on all other climbing support systems as well. For suitable wire rope systems, see below. Best are simple wire rope trellis kits in our basic, basic-s, or medium range.

 

Suitable wire rope systems?

Please click the icon to see which cable trellis systems are compatible with Hops

Greening project with golden hops
A garden shed greened with hops
Greenery with Humulus lupulus
Greening of a parking structure with beer hops

'Accidental' greening with hops

Because of its free floating seeds, hop spreads on its own and finds other 'climbing aids' ~ downpipes and lightening rods, etc..

Fence with Humulus lupulus in spring
This climbing hop has taken over an old wooden fence and shed.
Hops on an old mill wheel, Sheergrund near Klosterbuch / Saxony
Hops on a neglected compound
Drainpipe greened with Humulus
Hops climbing a drainpipe (on a tower)
Greening a drainpipe with hops
Greening of a facade and drainpipe
Hops on a lightning conductor, Greiz / Thüringen
Hops on a wall
Hops on a lightening rod, Leipzig / Saxony
Small wall greening with wild/unpruned hops, Quedlinburg / Saxony-Anhalt
This hops house-greening also probably came about rather by chance.
Here, hop has greened two downpipes; above, you can still see the dead (not removed) shoots from the previous year. Hops can grow safely on drainpipes (unlike other vigorous climbers), as it will not develop strangling shoots.
Hops on a parking structure, Leipzig Zoo/ Saxony
An "accidental" combination of clematis vitalba and hops
Very nice, but beware: here the hops can clog up the roof drainage!
 

Planned greening with hops

Here are deliberately designed greenings using hops...

Beer hops on a balcony-banister
Balcony greening with hops
Several floors benefit from one hop plant on the balcony
Gold-hops horse: with clever arrangement of the wire ropes, such figures can be created-- like this gold-hop horse!
Golden hop as an ornamental on a house entrance
On this small wall trellis the hop shoots are prevented from growing further by constant pruning. An ornamental hop Humulus scandens would be a good solution here.
Hops on three separate wire ropes at a house entrance
Hops as a potted plant, climbing up ropes and from there onto a street light
A beer hops greeting (entrance greening)
Hops and other plants (roses) on a house
Hops on a wire rope system 1040, massive construction style
Hops on 2 parallel wire ropes
Beer hops on a modified wire rope system 4020
Gold hops (humulus aureus) on a building
Urban greenery with wisteria (left side) and hops (right side)
Greenery on a half-timbered house: left side Parthenocissus quinqefolia, right side beer hops; Quedlinburg / Saxony-Anhalt
Hops on several vertical wire rope systems, analogous to our 1040
Several trellis cables for Humulus lupulus on a parking structure

Botanical Features

Details on leaf colour for both varieties (beer hops and golden hops) and their blossoms...

Budding in early spring (beer hops)
Hops are twiners
Cultivation of beer hops
Hops on 4 wire ropes
Leaves of Humulus lupulus are usually dark green.
Leaves of Humulus lupulus Aureus later turn a yellow-green
Golden hops on a wire rope
Leaves of golden hops in early autumn
Blossoms of female hops
Blossoms of male hops
 
 

Wire Rope Systems for Hops

Please click on the graphic illustrations for details!

   = suitable              = of limited suitability              = unsuitable