A herbaceous perennial to 50cm tall, forming a clump of sparsely branched stems bearing slender, toothed leaves. In late summer, it produces narrow flower spikes composed of numerous tiny yellow flowers. The double flowers, to 10cm across, are held above the foliage and are a rich yellow.

Dye colour: Yellow

Dye source: Flowers

Flowering: July - October

Other common names: Aaron's rod, Golden rod, Woundweed, Woundwort

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