Humulus Aureus/Golden Hops

Hi all

I'm seeing a few listings on eBay at the moment selling seeds from Golden Hops. As I am planting one next year, I was thinking of trying with seeds, as its a lot cheaper. Do they seed easily and grow well in their first year or is it the old adage, "you get what you pay for"?

Thanks
Aaron

 

Hi,

I have found that with gardening, strong tools are worth spending money on, but with plants, they will rip you off if they can.

If you have the patience grow from seed-it`s much more rewarding and a lot cheaper.

Having said that, I don`t always take my own advice and am a sucker for good looking plant

 

From seed you do not always get a good yellow plant, they do vary a lot. Also I would warn anyone about planting a Golden hop, they are very, very vigorous. Ours covers a 20 feet tall tree and 30 feet of trellis every year. The thing dies down in winter leaving a lot of very ugly dead growths which are extremely difficult to remove and which do not rot down easily on the compost heap. This by the way is after having weed killer sprayed on it every spring, just to reduce the growth.

 

Holy Moley-THAT vigorous?! Thanks Palustris-point taken.

 

I must agree with Palustris on the golden Hop, while I admit is is a very lovely plant in the springtime with it's new growth of foliage. I found that I had to destroy it in the end, as it was so vigorous, and just took over anything in it's path.

 

Wow! Didn't realise it was that vigourous. Our neighbour has a row of leylandii next to our garden which are gaining in height. Maybe I'll plant the golden hops next to them and stand back to watch

Might go for a few more clematis instead where I originally intended it to go though!

 

Don't forget that you can eat hop shoots when they are 6 to 8 inches tall. Cook and eat them like skinny asparagus. Mind you, you have to be quick as a 6 inch one in the morning will be 2 feet high by the afternoon.
A combination of hops, Montana, and passion flower will give a lelandii hedge a very bad time. It won't grow at all on your side of the boundary.

Nik

 

Now that's music to my ears

Can you tell I dislike the neighbours leylandii?

 

They will grow on the sunny side of the hedge!