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Other Traditional Yellow Dyes

Dyers’ Chamomile, Dyers’ Greenweed, Saw-wort and Tansy are the principal yellow dyes apart from weld.

1. Dyers’ Chamomile
2. Saw-wort
3. Tansy
4. Dyers’ Greenweed

and More Yellow Dyes on the next page, including,
Dock, Eucalyptus, Onion, Safflower, Goldenrod & Osage Orange
 

Dyers' Chamomile (Anthemis tinctoria)
Dyers' chamomile has dark green serrated foliage and it produces masses of long-lasting, yellow daisy flowers in the summer. It grows up to 60 cm and looks good as a bedding plant.

The plants tend to last for two years and then they usually start to go leggy and die. The flowers yield a warmer yellow than weld.

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Saw Wort (Serratula tinctoria)

It is a well-known dye plant in Europe and the flowers give a lemon-yellow colour.

It is in flower from July to September and the seeds ripen from August to September.

Both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
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Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

Tansy is a perennial plant up to 1.5 metres in height, with finely divided leaves and is somewhat fern-like .

The flowers are yellow and button like and appear in clusters. The flowers have an unusual scent, similar to that of camphor, with hints of rosemary.

In the dye pot, the flowers give a pale golden yellow.

It is said that the flowers can be used to keep ants at bay and that fishermen sometimes put sprigs of tansy in their hats to keep mosquitoes away.
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Back to
1. Weld
2. Rhubarb
3. More Yellow Dyes
Dock, Eucalyptus, Onion, Safflower, Goldenrod & Osage Orange

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Website and photos by Mike Roberts                 © 2006-09 WildColours
Page last updated 20 December 2008