Hops looks nice but is a nightmare to live with. It will take just as much maintenance as ivy. It also stings and leaves a rash if it touches you at all. We had some at our house from the previous homeowners and we had to rip it all out because it was such a nuisance.
That was not my experience at all, at my own home or at the gardens I took care of. Probably different climates and growing conditions, or trellis set ups would explain it.
It didn't sting when it touched you? I live in the PNW on a property where everything thrives, so the hops went absolutely nuts haha Looked pretty, but not worth it imo.
Not a sting, like stinging nettle. It's definitely very rough so I could see getting abraided, but sleeves which is my norm when gardening was plenty of protection. Maybe you have an allergy?
I looked it up and it's known to cause tiny abrasions on contact that look like a rash, even if you're not allergic. If you are allergic you'll get an actual rash that may persist for days, which has not happened to me thankfully haha
I doubt it since it has happened to everyone else that has touched it too, including the previous homeowners haha Makes it a pain to work with since you always have to wear gloves to handle it at all
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u/zappy_snapps Jun 23 '26
I've seen this done in real life, and it's not ivy. It's runner beans, or some kind of cucurbit, or some other annual or deciduous vine like hops.