A Garden to Dye For

Now here's something to try. Using plants to dye yarn. I love gathering wild plants for dyeing, but I've also started growing them. It adds another dimension...

Helianthus maximiliana 'Santa Fe'
Item # 55952 		Helianthus maximiliana 'Santa Fe'
Maximilian's Sunflower

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Aster oblongifolius
Item # 23530 		Aster oblongifolius
'Dream of Beauty' Fragrant Aster

each $5.49
3 to 6 plants $5.29
7 or more $4.99
  • Topic: Gifts from your Garden
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: plants, dye, dyeing, color, wild flowers, Garden Design, gardens
  • Date: November 2003

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Now here’s something to try. Using plants to dye yarn. About five years ago I started spinning my own yarn. The next step was learning to dye that yarn.

I love gathering wild plants for dyeing, but I’ve also started growing them. It adds another dimension to gardening, another way to use plants. How our ancestors discovered they could get colors from plants is beyond me. But thankfully someone figured it out because it’s really a fun way to take the magic of plants well into winter.

Think of sitting in front a fire crocheting yarn that you’ve spun yourself then dyed with plants you’ve grown yourself. It’s like eating a carrot you’ve tended all summer. The satisfaction can’t be beat.

Many of our common garden flowers and shrubs make great dye plants. The following is a short list of plants easily used for dyeing.

  • Asters—for deep gold to light yellow
  • Chamisa—for bright yellow
  • Marigolds—for light brown to pale yellow
  • Mt. Mahogany—for tan to maroon brown
  • Sagebrush—for yellow-green
  • Sunflowers—for deep moss to pale green
  • Tomatoes—for reddish and greenish brown
  • Virginia Creeper—for beige

The dyeing process is simple—simmering the plants, straining off the water into another pot, then simmering the yarn for about an hour.

No dye batch will ever be the same because soil type, when the plant is picked, what kind of water and kettle are used will alter the hues. This makes for fun and frustration. But it’s also part of the magic that makes winter handwork definitely a novelty.