Hops, Humulus lupulus, is not a common garden plant but a rather familiar ingredient in beer and ale. Originally used as a preservative in beer, hops give beer the slightly bitter odor and flavor. Being a hardy perennial vine, it does make a decorative climbing background when trained on a fence or trellis. Purchase plants or propagate by cuttings or root divisions. The flowers are attractive in dried arrangements, wreaths, and garlands.
