Knowledge from Olle Garden Bed: 12 Kinds of Colorful Plants Are Planted In The Natural Dye Garden
Do you know that you can use plants to create all kinds of amazing natural dyes? For thousands of years, people have been using natural dyes to create different textile colors, and you can do the same. Look at the following 12 common plants to create your own natural dye garden this year. The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
One of the main reasons for looking for natural vegetable dyes is that they produce a wide range of colors. When I saw them, I fell in love with their rich and varied colors. Now that I have my own pile of soft and beautiful wool to use, it is time to plant my natural dye garden.
Not only applicable to owner farmers
You don't need to be a novice shepherdess or a fiber art demon to plant dye gardens. Whether you are going to color the T-shirts in the mall or your own hand woven linen, vegetable dyes provide you with the opportunity to make truly unique works.
Each dye factory and each batch of dyes will be slightly different. After all, plant dyes produce unique results in each dye bath. According to the garden environment and the used mordant, the color produced by plant dyes can vary from light color to dark color and saturation. Many kinds, many kinds!
Natural dye garden plants
Remember that different plants require different climates and conditions. As a result, you may not be able to grow all these beautiful species. However, you will be able to cultivate some, and those you plant will amaze you with the colors they create.
- St. John's wort
It doesn't look much, growing between rocks and blackberry thorns, but St. John's grass is amazing. Have you ever seen St. John (hypericum)? The deep red gold infusion from St. John's grass is amazing. In contrast, when used in dye baths, this plant produces shades ranging from light green to reddish gold.
Color largely depends on the quality of soil where plants grow, so please select cold resistant and sunny flowers from plants in medium soil to obtain the best effect. St. John's wort is not a picky plant: it can thrive in Zone 5 and above, regardless of the soil quality.
- Madder
You can judge the color of madder by looking at its Latin name: Rubia tinctorum. But ruby is the deepest red, only from plants growing in alkaline soil. If you grow more rubia in acid soil, it will produce autumn oranges. The root of madder can grow big and heavy, and madder itself is a thorny plant. Wear gloves when handling.
However, if you live above Zone 7, you absolutely want to add madder to your dye garden - nothing can make red more abundant! If your soil is acidic, please add lime before planting, and add lime again after harvest every winter to keep the color of madder rich and deep.
- Sunflower
These cheerful giants have already paid a lot for the garden. They introduced birds and pollinators and rehabilitated the soil. Sunflower is one of the best annual plants in almost any garden. It is a pleasure to grow. In addition to these factors, the bright yellow flowers on the sunflower also produce green dye. The depth of the color ranges from light green to dark pine, depending on the mordant.
- Onions
For the first time, I conducted experiments in household vegetable dyes, involving onion peel and alum. The skin of yellow onions will form a gorgeous chrysanthemum yellow dye. Even if you haven't grown these vegetables yet, you can save the skins of the vegetables you bought in the store and use them to make dyes.
But onions are an easy to grow dual-use crop: they can fill your pantry and dye can. Plant your onions with plenty of sunshine and fertile soil, and then put the skin in the bag until you have enough for dyeing.
- Woad
When I think of medieval dyes, I immediately think of woad (Isais tinctoria). This plant brings beautiful blue dye to the fabric; It is not as strong as indigo, but has similar tones and tones. In the Middle Ages, woad was a dye more readily available than madder because its leaves could be harvested throughout the summer.
On the other hand, madder roots can only be harvested once a year in autumn. Woad is also a more hardy plant than madder: you can easily plant it in Zone 5 and above. It grows wild in sandy and well drained soil.
- Welding
This inconspicuous small plant is a semi annual supplement to the Dyestuff Garden. Its white pointed flowers provide a basic background for more colorful plants. Weld (Residaluteola) is cold resistant to Zone 6, and can thrive in sufficient sunlight or mottled shadows. But in the dye pot, the above ground part of the weld will produce an amazing yellow. If you have welds and pits in your garden, try to mix them with your dying. The two plants together show a vibrant lime green.
- Pokeweed
Have you heard of the Pokemon? For years, I have been warned not to eat this hardy plant because it is too poisonous. Mature stems and leaves are poisonous, as are seeds. However, if you are planting a dye garden, Pokeweed is an exciting addition because its berries produce beautiful red or purple dyes. Since Elf Grass is essentially a kind of weed that grows well in Zone 4, it is an ideal choice for gardens with poor or uncertain soil. Just avoid tasting dye bath!
- Red Cabbage
If you really want to taste dye water - or you just need to integrate your dye plants into your garden - add some red cabbage this year. Red cabbage makes a range of lovely dyes from purple to green, depending on the mordant and the plant parts you use. Most importantly, if you overgrow dye cabbage, you can use extra things to make pickles!
- Sweet Annie
As newlyweds, my husband and I will go to the open-air Sustainable Development Festival. The supplier will sell the sweet Annie (Artemisia annua) crown, which we can wear when walking on the booth. This herb smells delicious: like mild, sweetened vermouth or spring vegetables.
After wearing the crown for a whole day, we will take them home and use the withered leaves to make soft green and yellow dyes. Boil the sweet Annie and make the whole house smell amazing. The dye is light and soothing, just like the herb itself, which is very suitable for baby socks and soft gloves.
- Beet
Beet is another delicious food dye, which can produce colors from light pink to bright red. Darker varieties, such as "cow blood" and "Detroit", produce darker hues, while lighter varieties usually produce a soft pink. Try to plant a long beet bed, and use green vegetables on the table, while the roots mature to dyeing capacity.
Like cabbage, if you grow too many beets for the fabric coloring operation, you can always cook the rest. Use them in borscht or roast with walnuts and goat cheese. Dyes made from edible plants are always exciting and full of opportunities to play. Try using beets, cabbage and other safe dyes to make vegetable dyes for children!
- Goldenrod
As the name implies, the compositae plant comes down to a bright golden dye pot. It is a wild flower and grows well in various climates. Zone 2-9 is suitable for this cold resistant weed. With vinegar as the mordant, fabrics dyed with compositae plants will shine in the autumn sun.
With copper or iron as the mordant, the dye will become dark green and golden. Compositae is another edible dye plant. Use the surplus flowers to make herbal biscuits or anti allergic nourishing wine.
- Yarrow
When listing dye plants, we can't forget my favorite herbs. Yarrow produces a light golden brown dye. Because it grows wild all over the country, it is almost universally easy to grow in cool and warm climates. This plant thrives in almost all soil types and spreads like a weed. Boil all aboveground parts with alum as a mordant to obtain a brighter color. In addition, Yarrow is safe for children and suitable for people of all ages and skill levels.
Cultivate the color of nature
The world is full of beautiful and natural plant colors. Why bother with synthetic dyes when you can build your own color garden? Planting your own natural dyes provides a sustainable opportunity for growth and experimentation. No matter how many times you brew onion peel or parsley root, the result is always unique.
Remember that plant dyes produce consistent results, but they are never uniform. This is one of the fun ways to let real, fresh colors infuse your fabric. With your own natural dye garden, whether you are dyeing wool, cotton, Easter eggs or handmade paper, your finished products will belong to you completely.