Humulus japonicus Variegatus

Humulus japonicus 'Variegatus' is a very rare and vigorous variety of Japanese Hops, with particularly ornamental variegation! Its leaves are deeply lobed with a marbled light green and metallic white, sometimes shaded with pink. It is a deciduous climbing perennial slightly less hardy than other hops. Use it to decorate a wall, hedge, or unsightly fence or to cover a pergola. It prefers sheltered locations in good garden soil, moist, deep, in full sun or partial shade. It can be grown in the ground or in a pot! It tolerates lime well and only dislikes scorching sun and drying winds.

Humulus japonicus is one of the three species of hops and belongs to the Cannabaceae family, just like hemp and hackberry. It is native to Japan and China where it populates moist and humid places such as along watercourses and woodland edges. It is a perennial herbaceous vine with a large fleshy root that regenerates all its aerial vegetation each year and spends the winter dormant underground. Hops are dioecious plants, meaning that there are male and female plants. Humulus japonicus differs from its European cousin by having more divided leaves, bearing 5 to 7 lobes, and stems that twist counter-clockwise. Its flowers are rather insignificant. It easily self-seeds and is considered an invasive species in North America.

In spring, the Japanese Hops 'Variegatus' develops herbaceous stems that emerge from the slightly suckering stump, quickly twining around any support available. Its growth is very fast but it has a more restricted development than the species. An adult plant will reach 3m (10ft) in height with a spread of 1m (3ft). Male plants bear flowers in long panicles, reaching a maximum of 2.5cm (1in). Female flowers consist of small pedunculate spikes, even less noticeable. The stems are quadrangular, hairy, and striate. They bear rough leaves, beautifully divided into ovate, pointed, and dentate lobes. They lose their variegation in the shade and die with the first frost. This variety self-seeds less and is therefore much less invasive than the species.

In ornamental gardens, the Japanese Hops 'Variegatus' makes an excellent complement to a small climbing rose (Ghislaine de Feligonde, New Dawn...) and pairs well with a robust clematis with blue (Blue Angel), white (Miss Bateman), or pink (Little Mermaid, Josephine) flowers. An evergreen honeysuckle like Lonicera Copper Beauty, with yellow to orange-toned flowers, will form an interesting combination with this pretty climber, compensating for its absence in winter while flowering alongside its foliage in summer. This small hops plant will give a second life to an old bush, conceal a tired garden shed or an unsightly small structure, and enhance the trellis of a terrace or a wooden arbour. The flowers, picked in September, make beautiful dried bouquets. It can be easily grown in a large pot, as long as it is regularly watered and fertilised!