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.
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