Growing Weld

An ancient dye plant with true yellow staying power – welcome to Weld!

Weld – Dyer’s Rocket (Reseda luteola) – Click for seeds!

 

Weld, also known as Dyer’s Rocket or Dyer’s Weed (officially Reseda luteola) is a member of the brassica family and grows as a rosette of green leaves with a spike-like shoot of small yellow flowers developing in the second year. Native to the Mediterranean and used since before Roman times to produce a bright yellow, all parts of the plant can be used to make dye.

How to grow:

Site Selection: Biennial, prefers waste areas and disturbed ground. Plant in well-drained soil. Full sun is preferred. 

Start seeds: Start indoors about 4 weeks before last frost. Plant outside about 6” to 8” apart. Can also direct seed in late fall or spring.

Harvest: Anytime for bright yellows. Allow some flower stalks to mature for self-seeding, then can dry for use as dye material.

Processing: Gently simmer plant material for a bright yellow color on alum mordanted fiber.  

Click here to purchase organically grown Weld seeds.

 

Others dye plants:

Japanese Indigo

Madder

Woad

Hopi Red Dye Amaranth

Grow a beautiful yellow dye in your own flower garden.

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: