An upright, fast-growing annual, with lance-shaped leaves, reaching a height of 1m by the end of the season. From summer into early autumn, daisy-like bright yellow flowerheads with red centres are borne on branching stems.

Dye colour: Yellow - orange

Dye source: Flowers (fresh and dried)

Flowering: July - October

Other common names: Dyers Tickseed, Nuttal weed.

How to extract the dyes: 

• Soak the dried flower heads in a pot filled with 4 litres of warm water for 30 minutes. 

• Heat the dye bath to +70 °C, well below the boiling point.  

• Adding one tablespoon of washing soda or 0.5-1 dl of wood ash lye can improve the colour extraction and modify the colour from brown to orange. 

• Steep the flowers for 30 minutes to extract dye.  

For more information about the dyeing process:

Natural dyes for education and colour experimentation