Description

Madder plants sown last year are shooting again and available now, we will have Madder plugs and Woad plugs and plants available later in the Spring.

Organically grown garden ready plants: Woad (Isatis tinctoria), Madder (Rubia tinctorum), Saw-wort (Serratula tinctoria) and Dyer’s Chamomile (Cota tinctoria) plants sown and raised by us in South Oxfordshire.

We may also be able to help anyone wanting unusual dye plants (particularly those that are of specialist interest but don’t actually produce substantial quantities of dye). Please get in touch if you are looking for a specific plant or seeds.

Madder roots can be harvested for dyeing (oranges, reds, pinks) after 3 to 4 years and if you leave or replant sections of the root you can maintain your plants for the future. We sometimes have Madder stolons available and these are an option for anyone wanting a cheaper way of getting a larger quantity of plants.
Woad is a biennial, which can sometimes be persuaded to become perennial! Harvest the leaves in the first year (you can usually get several crops) to make a blue dye and for over dyeing yellows to make greens. If you leave a small number of plants for a second year they will produce seeds for your future crops.
Chinese Woad is similar to Woad but contains significantly more of the dye precursors than Woad, harvest leaves in its first year for a blue dye.  It has a tendency to bolt and is less hardy than Woad.
Dyer’s Chamomile is a beautiful feathery leaved short lived perennial, harvest either just the flowers or the whole plant for lovely warm yellows.
Saw-wort is a beautiful little native perennial that dyes a clear yellow. Bees love the flowers which are similar to knapweed. This is a good plant to choose if you are growing in pots or a small space.
Weld is a tall annual, harvest the whole plant for a clear bright yellow (this was one of the main commercial yellows before synthetic dyes). If you allow the plant to go to seed, you can save and broadcast the seed on any disturbed ground for a good crop the following year. We don’t often sell Weld plants as they are seriously finicky about being transplanted and we generally recommend you grow them from seed. However, we often a have a few in pots for demonstrations so if you want one, let us know.
We are striving to reduce our use of plastic and other unsustainable packaging, however we have inherited a large quantity of plastic pots, we therefore plan to use these up, as well as transitioning to a peat free biodegradable alternative. We will pack your plants using a selection of washed wool from our own sheep, moss, reused bubble wrap, reused plastic packaging and reused cardboard boxes. If you would prefer your plants packaged without any animal products please let us know when you order.
We send out all plants by 1st Class post so that they spend the minimum amount of time wrapped up. Please add a note to your order if you would like the box to be left with a neighbour / in the porch etc. if you are not at home to receive it.

We are also very happy to have interested people visit the dye garden by arrangement on most Mondays and some Sundays.