Hops have arrived at Farmington Gardens! We’ve got eight varieties of rhizomes – Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Magnum, Mt. Hood, Goldings, Sterling, and Zeus. We also have assorted varieties in 1-gallon and 3-gallon sizes as well.
Even if you are not into hops for home-brewing purposes, they make a fast and lovely vine. This picture shows how we grew them here at the store in wine barrels – up over an arbor. Perfect location to sip you favorite brew at the end of a summer day!
It seems like most people don’t consider hops when they are looking for an interesting vine for their garden. I am a new fan, now that we have been growing them in the front of our store. We positioned four wine barrels in the corners of a square wrought iron pergola, and planted a hops plant in each barrel, along with morning glory and petunias. It has created quite an attractive display, especially now that the purple morning glories are blooming and are intertwined with the green blooms of the hops.
Hops (Humulus lupulus) are an herbaceous perennial, which means it will die down each year, or you will cut it to the ground, but it will return in subsequent years. Hops are fast-growing, sun-loving vines, reaching 20-30 feet in a season, so it is perfect for covering a structure where you would like to create a shady, private alcove. And as a bonus, the dried vines are very useful in creating interesting autumn displays – use them for wreaths, garlands and door swags.
You don’t have to be a micro-brew aficionado to be a fan of hops, although we have lots of folks in the area doing just that. With the increase in micro-brewing has come a real shortage of hops, and so the popularity of growing one’s own has taken root. And with names like Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Willamette, and Mt. Hood, you can tell this is a local crop! Each one has different atttributes – if you are interested, Tony here at FG is our hop guru, and would be happy to share what he knows.
What a great spot to enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day – or maybe more appropriately an icy beer. (Clicking on these photos will give you a close-up view of how gorgeous they are!)
