Ornamental hops can create significant coverage to an area requiring summer shade such as a gazebo or they can be used to beautify and cover an unsightly structure such as an old fence.
During the growing period these hop plants need water every day and liquid fertiliser once a fortnight to look their best. Hop plants enter a dormant period at the end of Autumn and start growing again in Spring. During dormancy you can cut back the bines to ground level or leave them to act as a foothold for next seasons growth to climb up. Covering the hop plants roots with pea straw during Winter will protect the buds of the next seasons growth.
The pictures below will give you some ideas for the use of hops for decorative purposes along with some varietal suggestions.
This hop won the British Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (AGM). The leaves change from lime to Gold when grown in full sun. The hop cones can be used for brewing.
Wild Thing is one of a series of wild hops that have appeared in our hop garden. Wild Thing was selected for it's robust growth habit, decorative dark green foliage and very large cones making it perfect for ornamental use and in the brewing of beer.
Limealicious has been bred from the Motueka hop variety and has lime leaves with large hop cones which have a lime mojito flavour when used in beer.
We make a Mexican lager (Cerveza) from the hops.
