We have enjoyed growing hops for years now because it is absolutely fascinating to watch them grow so vigorously, reaching lengths of up to 25 feet. Their use as ornamentals is limitless. They can be easily trained to grow up trellises to provide shade and privacy in the summer when it’s hot, then because they die back in the fall, they are gone when we want all the sun we can get! I have seen them work really well trained to grow up poles to form a teepee.

The use of hops began as a kitchen herb, mentioned by the Roman scholar Pliny for its edible shoots, which are eaten in spring like asparagus. French and German brewers began using them to preserve and flavor their beers in the ninth and tenth centuries. Bavarian Hops became famous by the eleventh century, but it wasn’t until the sixteenth that the English replaced their traditional bitter herbs (Alehoof and Alecost) with hops. The Massachusetts Company introduced them to North America in 1629, but it took until 1800 before it was an important field crop. The end of the Eastern U. S. market came in the 1920s with a major out break of downy mildew. Today most hops are grown in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California. Hops have a long history of medicinal uses as well. Probably the most popular being its use as a sedative due to the substance called lupulin.

Hops are unisexual, only the female hops produce the flowers used in brewing. All rhizomes we offer are female. As the female flower matures, they form cone-like structures. The mature cones are 1 to 3 inches long, yellowish green and papery to the touch. They are generally harvested in August and September dried and used for brewing, medicinal or ornamental uses.

There is some great information from the OSU Extension Service and the Oregon Hops Commission about growing hops at this site... www.oregonhops.org