It's a very good question :-) I always try to keep in mind both the growth habits and any pruning requirements before combining vines. As a rule, I will not combine any very aggressive vine with a less aggressive one....the more aggressive one always wins, usually to the detriment of the lesser. I'd consider hops to be on the upper end of aggressiveness.....any vine that can grow 30' or more in a single season wins my prize for aggressive behavior! Not to mention battling with root spread and associated shoots. Plus, its a scratchy devil to try and prune back in season. I also will only combine clematis with other clematis with similar pruning requirements. It just simplifies things so much. AFA hops being dangerous to dogs, that has only been established with certain breeds (namely greyhounds) and only if a reasonable quantity is ingested. In fact, extract of hops is a common ingredient in a joint pain relief medication used by veterinarians so can't be all that toxic. A golden hop vine and a previous pet Cocker spaniel did not get along well however.....the raspy and amazingly fast growing vine stems would grab at her soft coat and tangle her up so that she couldn't make her way back inside. I'd have to go out with my shears and rescue her -- THAT'S when I decided to get rid of my hop vine!

Thanks much for the replies. I am looking for hop cultivars such as Nugget or Cascade. Sorry for not being more specific. I did not realize there is a common hop vine and an invasive (humulus Japonicus) that (supposedly) exist in Minnesota, have never personally seen examples of either one. The Japanese invasive sounds nasty. There is increasing interest in growing hops for homebrewing (people like me), and microbreweries are gaining an interest in using locally grown ingredients. I would think local nurseries would want to take advantage of the trend. I will have to fire off some email inquiries around January or so, or just skip it and go the mail order route...

I can't find this anywhere. Does anyone have a cutting to share or know where I can order? I have harlequin honeysuckle, silver lace vine, red trumpet vine. I am making starts right now. I have lot of flower and vegetable seeds too

Yes, you can grow hops from seed but they need cold stratification. If you want golden hops you need to buy plants. They are perennial but they die down to the ground in winter. They'll grow 10 or more feet in the growing season but will disappear in winter.