Humulus lupulus - Common Hop

Humulus lupulus, better known as hops, is a large climbing plant that is exuberant and decorative with its large light green leaves.  It should be planted in a sunny position. Delivered in a pot and well rooted, this plant quickly establishes itself in the garden. It tolerates all exposures well, but prefers a semi-shady position where it excels. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with a large fleshy root that regenerates the entire vegetation each year and spends the winter underground. Hops are a dioecious plant, meaning there are male and female plants. It is the cone-shaped fruits that form in summer on the female plants that are used to flavour beer.

Humulus lupulus is a rhizomatous plant of the Cannabaceae family, native to wet areas of the Northern Hemisphere (Europe, America). Its herbaceous, rough stems emerge from the stump in spring, quickly entwining on to any support available to them. Their growth is very rapid, they grow several centimetres per day and reach over 10 m (33ft) in a season. They bear leaves measuring up to 15 cm (6in) in diameter, nicely cut into 3 to 5 ovate, pointed and crenate lobes. The male or female inflorescences, present on separate plants, appear in summer, from June to August depending on the climate. The female flowers are globular, while the male flowers are in the form of broad panicles. It is the female flowers that, after pollination by a male plant, form fruits called cones. Shaped like an egg, the cones have a scaly appearance, are golden in colour when ripe, and are covered with a fragrant and powdery resin called lupulin. They are usually harvested in September. All the aerial vegetation dries up in autumn.

In ornamental gardens, hops complement a climbing rose and pair well with a sturdy clematis with blue flowers like 'Blue Angel'. It can give a second life to an old tree, conceal a tired garden shed or an unsightly structure, and bathe a trellis or pergola on a patio in gold. Its luxuriant vegetation, of a fairly light green, brings life to semi-shady areas and adds another dimension to them. For example, consider planting hops as a backdrop for hydrangeas, or pairing it in a mixed hedge with Akebia quinata 'Cream Form'. You can also train it to climb over an arch or a tall teepee, or an ugly pylon that disfigures the garden... The flowers, harvested in September, make beautiful dried bouquets.

The female inflorescences, the cones, have been used to flavour beer since the 8th Century. Previously, hops were only used to preserve beer. Currently (despite modern preservation technologies), this tradition has remained due to the slight bitterness and flavour that hops bring. In the past, pillows were filled with dried cones to help sleep.