Hop is a climbing plant with rapid growth whose woody climbing stems can reach up to 6 metres long. Easy to grow and hardy, it will need no maintenance if you provide a support to colonise. Moreover, Hop is very decorative and will form a lovely screen in fresh green or golden tones. While large, impressive structures can be admired in hop farms, what about in the garden? Discover with us the different ways to support Hop.

A large agricultural structure for cultivating Hop

When to stake Hop?

Hop's growth is very rapid and it can grow up to around ten centimetres per day during the summer season. The support should therefore be installed before or at the same time as planting the young plants at the start of spring.

Different types of staking

Training against a wall

  • Hop can be trained against a wall like all climbing plants and even grown in a pot. You can install an attractive wooden trellis or make one using bamboo stakes. You can even recycle a piece of wire mesh to serve as a support.

  • You can also run vertical cables of steel, iron or natural cord that Hop will naturally seize to climb upwards. To do this properly: anchor the cable into the ground with a peg or ground anchor 10 cm from the wall, then secure the cable at the top, for example to a bracket or hook. Take care to leave 5 to 10 cm between the wall and the structure so Hop can coil around it and air can circulate.

  • You can also attach a trellis net between the cables to encourage Hop to spread laterally or when planting several plants. This way you can create a beautiful green curtain on a façade, or in front of a window to bring coolness in summer, or on a pergola.

Supporting on a pergola

With its handsome lianas of 5 to 6 metres long, Hop is perfect for dressing a pergola or an arch. It will climb by itself, but don't hesitate to guide it to cover the whole structure.

Against a tree or a post

Hop enjoys full sun but also partial shade. It will therefore climb up a tree trunk without too much difficulty. More original: it can also take over structural posts or, as below, a lamppost! A bright idea!

A mini hop yard in the garden

You can also create a mini hop yard inspired by large professional structures, but on a much smaller scale. Its height should be between 2 and 3 metres.

  • Plant wooden battens, posts or tall bamboo stakes vertically directly in the ground.
  • Connect the tops of the posts horizontally with a branch, a bamboo pole, string or another batten.
  • Attach string, cable or wire to the top of the structure. Let them fall vertically to the ground and secure them with ground pegs. You can also replace the string with a trellis net. Hop will then be able to climb the cordage and the top of the structure by itself.
  • Your structure will generally last two years. Check its stability each season.

Example of a structure made of bamboo stakes and a trellis net

  • Another possibility: you can also create a tipi-shaped structure with stakes.

Other examples of tipi trellises

On a fence or a balcony

Thanks to its vigorous nature, Hop will easily cling to wire mesh, a fence or a balcony. Don't hesitate to guide its green stems so it covers the structure.

Hop taking over a fence

For further reading

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