Hops on Grapes !

I have another experiment growing along the front of my house; a Merlot Grape vine is competeing for space against a Golden Hops plant. This is a battle of two vigorous annual vines.

This picture was taken in early August 2006; I'm holding the blooming shoot of the hops plant. The background is a grape leaf.

Hops (Humulus spp.) is so strange when it blooms. It's one-sex-plant (dioecious), so I have a female hops plant. These tufts, or "buds" of white hairs are waiting to be pollenated. They will grow into "cones" when mature.