Humulus lupulus seeds - Hop

Sowing hop seeds, or Humulus lupulus, allows you to grow several young plants of this large perennial climber with dense and ornamental foliage. With rapid growth, it can reach over 10 metres in a single season, quickly covering a support such as a pergola, fence, or tree. A dioecious plant, the female plants produce golden hops traditionally used for flavouring beer. Grown from seeds, hops require a bit of patience, but they then develop lush and vigorous vegetation, ideal for adding a rustic touch to the garden.

Native to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, hops belong to the Cannabaceae family. They are also known as Couleuvrée, Vigne du Nord, or Perennial Hop. They grow naturally in rich, moist soils, by riversides or in clearings. Their rough, twining herbaceous stems emerge each spring and quickly twine around their support. Their lobed, bright, light green leaves can measure up to 15 cm wide. They are beautifully divided into 3 to 5 ovate, pointed, and crinkled lobes. The male or female inflorescences, found on separate plants, appear in summer, from June to August depending on the climate. The female flowers are globular, while the male flowers form wide panicles. It is the female flowers that, after pollination by a male plant, develop into fruits called hops. These ovate cones have a scaly appearance, turn golden when ripe, and are covered in a fragrant, powdery resin called lupulin. They are typically harvested in September. All above-ground vegetation dies back in autumn, leaving the perennial crown dormant until the following spring.

A spectacular climbing plant, hops pair well with climbing roses, blue-flowered clematis such as 'Blue Angel', or summer-flowering bushes. They are ideal for covering a wall or fence, climbing a pergola, or adding volume to a rustic flower bed. Planted behind a hydrangea or paired with an Akebia, they are highly versatile in all partial shade areas. Growing from seed offers an economical alternative for quickly dressing up the garden. The flowers, picked in September, make beautiful dried arrangements.

The female inflorescences, the cones, have been used to flavour beer since the 8th century. Previously, hops were only used to preserve beer. Nowadays (despite modern preservation technologies), this tradition remains for the slight bitterness and flavour that hops impart. In the past, dried cones were stuffed into pillows to aid sleep.