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| Weld elderflower dyers chamomile and mullein |
Dye Plants
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| Mullein in a nearby hedgerow- I have never seen one there before . I hope it can flower and seed before the dreaded council hedge trimmer comes along. |
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| mullein moth caterpillars on the mullein |
Ignore the lupins and grass.! Dye plants are Weld ( Reseda Luteola) Dyers Chamomile ( Anthenis tinctoria) about to come into flower. Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) and to the right and back Mullein (Vebascum thapsus). This is a native plant but although we have been growing it in the garden now for three years I was very surprised (and pleased) to find it in the hedgerow where I walk my dog not 1/4 mile form the house. Could it have spread from me I wonder.? Mullein is also home to the mullein moth and the other day we found ours crawling with the stripy caterpillars. The following day there was nothing, absolute nothing! Had they all been eaten by hungry birds we wondered.
I have dyed with mullein leaves and copper and got a very nice green which after a year in the solar pot and a month exposed to light has not faded.
why ignore the lupins? I am not sure that pink lupins dye, but the blue flowered wild ones do.... unfortunately I can't find any over here and my one batch I grew from seed suffered so badly from greedy slugs that they never recovered:((
ReplyDeletemy weld - doesn't want to grow apparently, I think it would like a bit less rain and a bit more warmth:)) it probably thinks that 10 dec. C means it's still winter:))
Hi Bettina I did not know that thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteAS to weld I find it surprising after all we have very similar climate but perhaps it so the combination of water and cold.
Hi Chris Many thanks for that information. Very useful and I had not realised that the mullein is high in tannin. best wishes helen
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