A lovely North American native prairie plant, a bee magnet, and a strong orange in the dye pot – what’s not to love?!
Dyer’s Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) – Click for seeds!
A cheerful North American native, this annual plant is easy to grow and will produce hundreds of beautiful little flowers in tufts 2 to 3 feet tall. Also known as Plain’s Coreopsis, each blossom packs a big dye potential and gives gorgeous oranges.
How to grow:
Site Selection: Annual, will grow is dry conditions but flowers more when well watered. Protect from rabbits! Plant in well drained soil. Full sun is preferred.
Start seeds: Direct seed after last frost.
Harvest: Anytime after flowers open. Picking more flowers will lead to more blossoms!
Processing: Gently simmer blossoms or plant tops for a deep orange color. Add soda ash to increase the pH for a deeper color.
Click here to purchase organically grown Coreopsis seeds.
Resources:
Growing Coreopsis – Wild Colours
Others dye plants:
