Growing dye plants is an ancient practice that is gaining renewed interest. Dye plants such as oak galls, madder, chamomile, indigo and honeysuckle provide unique natural pigments and offer an ecological alternative to synthetic dyes.
Cultivating and identifying them supports biodiversity and helps communities discover the richness of local flora. The colour depends on the plant, season, soil, sunlight, water pH and other growing conditions.
When starting a new species or sowing, record the seed year or supplier, cultivation year, species and useful parts, soil pH and type, sun exposure and water pH. These records make it possible to monitor growth and understand variations in colour from year to year.