Has anyone grown Hops? I ordered some and will be planting them in spring. I like the way they look as a garland on a mantel and thought I would try that. I'm getting the variety "Cascade."
I would really love to try ornamental oregano as well. I would love to trade for that if anyone has it.
Cindy
Hops for decorative use
Hi, I grew some last summer. They grew about 6 feet or so and had lovely leaves, but I think it was just not sunny and warm enough for them to really flourish in my yard. If you're in MA, you probably have much warmer summers! I've seen many photos of ornamental hops growing on arbors and trellis, and they're gorgeous! They're certainly worth a try in your area.
Hope you have good luck with them.
Terri
Hi Terri, I'm not sure where in CA Eureka is, but I thought your summers were warm there! We get hot, humid and dry summers, usually. I have a lot of shade in my yard but I have some sunny spots.
I suspect I will have quite a bit more sun this year because of the winter tree damage. What variety did you grow?
Cindy
Hi Terri. I've got a hops vine that I put in 2 years ago, and it grew delicately the first year to about six feet. Last year it came back and grew much bigger and especially wider, sprouting from the bottom of the plant, but we are a cold climate so things sprout from the base each year. Mine is in part shade on a north wall and gets maybe 3 hours of direct sun, maybe not even that. See what happens this year before you give up. Our summer was pretty cool last year as well, never reaching more than 85 degrees .
My husband is a home brewer. We used to grow Cascade and Halletauer (?) at our old house. We grew them up the side of the 19th century barn, and they were just lovely. After we moved, the barn was torn down and burned. We never did get back to rescue rhizomes for our new home. Low and behold, this summer we discovered a "wild" hop patch growing along the woods of our pasture. Don't know the variety, or how long it's been there, but it's huge. We intend to clear the patch out and dig some up for easier access this spring. Hops are beautiful ornamentals, and as long as they are planted in the right spot (warm, sunny and protected), can grow several inches in one day. Don't worry if it takes a few seasons for the vines to become established. Once in, they'll be there forever.
My husband home brews too. Thats why we put in the hops. I wanted golden hops but we weren't sure he could brew with it. Anyway, two years later and we still haven't harvested any. When do you harvest and how do you use them once they are picked?
Hi Ivy1, harvest the hope cones in late summer. Once the cones form, you'll want to pick a few and pull them apart. When you see a sticky yellow powdery substance inside the cones, it's time to harvest. We pick them all at once, spread them to dry on old window screens - it'll take about a week if you have warm dry weather , but try to dry them in a dark room so they don't lose their potentcy. We used to use a room in our old barn- then pack them in freezer bags and freeze until you are ready to use them. Make sure you suck all the excess air out of the bags.
I also use the hops that have gone by for pillows. You can tell they have gone by because they are starting to brown along the edges of the cones. They are great stuffed in muslin bags, and used in warm soaking tubs in the winter. They are mildly soporific, and make a very relaxing bath. You can also use them as eye pillows to aleviate mild headache sympton.
Boy, they are such a pretty plant. Good luck and have fun with them. I'm looking forward to playing with our wild patch this year.
Thanks Lee! I love the idea of using them in the bath, they smell so good to me. I can't wait for spring to see how big mine is going to get. Good luck to you too.
Oceangirl and Ivy1 -- Sorry, I wasn't ignoring you -- I just realized I hadn't checked back on this thread in months! In case you're still interested, my hops vine is Golden Hop Vine (Humulus lupulus 'Aureus'); it's a lovely rich chartreuse that's very fresh looking. This summer it's doing much better than it did last year, but I think it's going to take a few years to really settle in. Right now the vine is about 7 feet tall, but it's not even 1 foot wide. (Last year it was just 2 spindly vines; this year it spread a bit from the bottom, which is fine with me. I want the vines to cover the ugly shed they're growing against!) I cut back a shrub that was partially shielding the hop plant from the sun, and the hop plant seems a lot happier because of it. Ivy1, I had to laugh (not AT you, you understand :-) ) when you said your summer was "pretty cool, never reaching more than 85 degrees." We broke heat records a couple of weeks ago when we got to 74! We're on the coast, and our weather is mild but cool.
Anyway, Oceangirl, I hope your Cascade hops are doing well. Ivy1 and Leisurlee, I'm curious about your experiences with using hops for brewing, bath additives, headache remedies etc.
They are great in pillows mixed with dried lavender. You can heat them in the microwave to bring out all the aroma and calming properties as well.
Barb
Watch out next year, Terracotta! I'd be willing to bet money that you have a huge bunch of vines coming up!
I was laughing at myself, reading my post 'cause we have had nothing but 90 degree weather this year!
Terracotta, my husband is the brewer, so I'm not sure what he does with the hops. I think once he dries them as I described in the post above, he puts them in freezer bags and just uses them in the mash at the end of the brewing process. We feed all the leftover brewing detritus (barley, hops, whatever) to our compost pile, now that we don't have horses anymore.
I stuff the waste hopes (either gone by or strong for brewing) into little pillows I use for eye pillows. I'm prone to headaches, and these really help me if I lie down in a dark quiet room for a while. They smell so wonderful. I also use them in muslin bags with dried lavender. What a treat. I don't do anything fancy. Just stuff the dried cones in the muslin and tie with a piece of string, then toss in the bath tub under running water. It's heaven!