Perennial of the Month-- June 2003 
Perennial of the Month-- June 2003
Common name: Golden Hops
Family: Cannabidaceae, Cannabis
Height x width: 12-20ft vine
Growth rate, habit: very fast, vine (actually a bine which climbs by twining vs. a vine which holds on with appendages)
Foliage: leaves opposite, ovate-cordate, 3-7 lobed, 2-4" wide; bright golden yellow most of season, turning greener late in season
Flowers: dioecious with male and female plants, generally this cultivar found with male plants with loose small panicle in axils
Hardiness: zones 4-9 (often listed only to 5 but has proved reliable in zone 4 in Vermont)
Soil: tolerates most, well-drained
Light: sun
Pests and Problems: few serious, fewer problems seemingly than standard green cultivars
Landscape habit, uses: excellent fast ornamental for groundcover or screening, background for other golden plants (golden yucca, Centaurea Gold Bullion, Lamium Golden Anniversary, golden shrub dogwood) or those of contrasting colors (purple ninebark for instance); or against dark walls; on strings to eaves or gutters or elevated decks, or trellises and arbors, or through large shrubs and small trees, or through wire fences to help hide them
Other interest: related to cannabis but totally different habit and growth
Other culture: could be used more widely, low maintenance, must have something to twine around as it clings by hooked appendages on stems-- the same which can cause rashes if scraped across arms and skin; best cord if using this is thick coarse twine such as baling twine, or trellis; in addition to above, grows best with ample water and fertilizer or rich soil with copious compost
Propagation: spring division or softwood cuttings during season (often may root in water)
Sources: Raintree nursery, Joy Creek Nursery, Avant Gardens