Growing Hops in Your Garden

Growing hops in your garden may start you on brewing your own beer, or filling pillows with hop flowers to improve your sleep. And indeed, the juxtaposition of British Flowers Week and Beer Day in Britain was the first inspiration for this blog. But as the idea floated around my head, I thought of plenty of reasons for growing a hop plant. For example: –

covering a difficult wall
herbal tisane, or tea
adding height to a herb garden
making a sleep pillow
part of a wildlife friendly garden
flavouring homebrewed beer
golden hop as a decorative addition to the flower border
to climb over a pergola
woodland garden

But first some botany and history of the hop plant.

Hops and Hop plants – a Bit of Botany

The hop plant, Humulus lupulus is native to Europe, North America and Western Asia. Its found in the green leaved form and also with golden yellow foliage – Humulus lupulus ‘aurea’.

The European hop is a herbaceous perennial, ie the top growth dies back in late autumn. It has a strong rhizomatous root system and develops a deep tap root as it matures.

Also known as Humulus americanus, Humulus volubilis, Humulus vulgaris and Lupulus amarus, it is a member of the Cannabinaceae family. With a common name of Hop-bind, the wolf (lupulus) part of its name to take over other plants becomes obvious.

The hop has male and female flowers on different plants, and it is only the female flowers which are of use for edible and medicinal purposes. Strictly speaking ‘hops’ refers to the female flower rather than the whole plant.

Humulus japonicus is the only other species in this genus. Even faster growing than Humulus lupulus, it is marked as invasive in some Eastern parts of the United States. It was introduced as an annual ornamental climber / tender perennial there in the mid to late 1800s. Found along the water’s edge and roadsides in Japan and parts of China, Humulus japonicus doesn’t have the medicinal or edible qualities of Humulus lupulus.

A Short History of Growing Hops

In ancient cultures, hops were treated as edible plant rather than a medicinal or alcoholic one. Pliny the Elder refers to it as such and the young tips were widely eaten as an alternative to asparagus. Although grown in European gardens by the 9th century, it was a wild plant in Britain; foraged for rather cultivated as a vegetable.

Until the sixteenth century in Britain, beer was made not with hops but with Alecost and Alehoof plants.

Alehoof, more properly Glechoma hederacea, or Nepeta Glechoma is a ground cover evergreen plant with aromatic foliage. The variegated form is often sold as a hanging basket plant. Its common name of Alehoof comes from its use as a bitter herb in beer, or ale making and for the hoof-shaped leaf.

Alecost, Tanacetum balsamita, also known as Costmary, Mint geranium and Bible leaf. The ‘cost’ comes from the Greek ‘kostos’ meaning spicy’, so the plant is described for its use as a spicy herb for ale.

“The first record of hopped beer in Blighty was circa 1362 imported from Amsterdam into Great Yarmouth. The earliest mention of beer being brewed in England (from imported hops) was 1412, made by a German alewife in Colchester.” Beer Day Britain

Come the fifteenth century and Henry VI banned the use of hops in ale-making. During the sixteenth century, Flemish immigrants to England were using the sedative qualities of hops. Cultivation began in Kent, which county has remained the largest grower of hops in Britain. Henry VIII was the second English King to ban its use in beer. But by the seventeenth century it was a common ingredient and hops were on their way to oust Alecost and Alehoof as ingredients in beer. The two drinks were made and enjoyed as separate beverages until at least the eighteenth century.

Growing Hops in Your Garden

Both Humulus lupulus and the golden form will grow in most soils and conditions. They will tolerate both moist and drought, sun, semi-shade and even a bit more shade. Humulus aureus keeps its golden foliage even in shady spots, which is not always the case with coloured foliage plants.

If you’re not bothered about the flowers being useful, then it is irrelevant whether you grow a male or female plant. However, the female plant has the showier flowers, which may be a consideration in the ornamental flower border.

Humulus is a fast-growing climber – which can be useful if you have an unsightly garage wall to cover up. But there are downsides to this speed, as the plant can take over a border in a couple of years if left unchecked. The golden hop is less invasive as well as being more decorative. During the summer, the golden foliage makes a colourful backdrop to bright herbaceous flowers such as Galliarda and bronze Rudbeckia.

I would suggest growing hops in an unfertilised soil, in semi-shade to reduce its exuberance. It can work well in a woodland or woodland edge planting scheme. The hooked prickles on the stems enable it to twine around tree trunks.

In a small garden, or where you really don’t want it to become a nuisance, grow it in a large pot.

Growing Hops in the Herb Garden and Kitchen Garden

Golden hops waving from the top of an obelisk are a pretty sight as a summer centrepiece. Growing one or more plants like this also makes them easy to crop from.

Pick the young side shoots in spring, steam or boil as you would with asparagus. Leave some on the plant to grow. The male flowers can be parboiled and added into salads.

The female flowers – hops – should be collected in late summer before they go to seed. Hang them up to dry (decorative already!) and then either: –

fill ‘hop pillows’ with them to encourage a sweet-scented restorative sleep. When suffering from bouts of porphyria, and treated as a lunatic, George III at least had the comfort of sleeping on hop filled pillows

brew a tisane. Steep the flowers only for a few minutes, then drink at bedtime to induce a good night’s sleep. It should also aid digestion if drunk an hour before eating.

NB
As well as the usual, take care comment, hops shouldn’t be ingested by pregnant women or those suffering form depression unless under medical guidance.
The best variety for beer in particular, is Humulus lupulus ‘Fuggle’. Seen here trained against a wall. Whilst Humulus ‘Wye Challenger’ has rather nice red stems.

Hops for Wildlife Gardens

Hops, or rather the climbing hop plant is an excellent addition to a wildlife garden. it can provide shelter for birds, possibly even to nest in. The hop leaves are a food source for the Comma butterfly in its larval, caterpillar stage. This latter means you will get some nibbled leaves, but hey, that’s what wildlife gardening is about. Try growing green and bronze fennel in front to increase the food source for wildlife.

Growing Hops in Your Garden – a few final thoughts

Skin irritation was common among hop pickers from the hairy stems and leaves. Hop picking in Kent was a holiday for many EastEnders in the nineteenth century and ealry part of the twentieth, with whole families decamping to the country. Oast houses, where the hops were then prepared for use in beer-making are still a common site in the county.

Unlike the earlier Thomas Tusser, John Evelyn in the 17th century did not approve of hops and beer taking over from ale: –

“Hops transmuted our wholesome ale into beer…this one ingredient preserves the drink, but repays the pleasure with… a shorter life.”

Whichever of the two you side with, may you enjoy a glass of beer on June 15th for British Beer Day – or a sip of hop flower tea if you prefer!
And for edible garden design, kitchen gardens, herbs gardens and wildlife gardens, do please get in touch with Plews!