I've been feeling a bit low lately, thinking too much about things I can't change easily, if at all. Then I forget that what's happening in the dye garden is all good. Here's a patch of dyer's coreopsis sown direct and growing profusely. And some blue corn growing much better than expected. The blue corn seed was gifted to me by a friend. Eagerly hoping it produces corn cobs. #naturaldye #dyegarden

The dye garden is finally beginning to look good, with yellow dyer's chamomile (cota tinctoria) the first to flower alongside dyer's woodruff (asperula tinctoria) with its white cloud of frothy flowers.

Most dye plants seem to have yellow flowers! So we also grow some blue flowered plants for bees as a nice contrast. Here you can see Viper's bugloss (echium vulgare) which is an outstanding dye plant. It is biennial and we let is self seed wherever it wants to grow.
#DyeGarden

The dye garden is finally beginning to look good, with yellow dyer's chamomile (cota tinctoria) the first to flower alongside dyer's woodruff (asperula tinctoria) with its white cloud of frothy flowers.

Most dye plants seem to have yellow flowers! So we also grow some blue flowered plants for bees as a nice contrast. Here you can see Viper's bugloss (echium vulgare) which is an outstanding dye plant. It is biennial and we let is self seed wherever it wants to grow.
#DyeGarden

Yesterday I removed the last of the dead stems and leaves of an Indian madder plant (Rubia cordifolia) which nearly filled the dye garden greenhouse last year. The winter cold may have killed it because its natural habitat is sub-tropical. Gentle poking around revealed hopeful signs of some viable roots. So not all is lost perhaps? Mulched and watered the ground and we will wait a bit longer. #PlantDye #NaturalDye #DyeGarden