A vigorous upright deciduous perennial about 60-90cm tall, with pinnate, deeply-divided, aromatic leaves to 10cm long. Erect stems, to 75cm, bear clusters of pincushion-like, bright yellow daisy flowers in dense clusters, through summer into autumn.

Dye colour: Yellow

Dye source: Flower heads

Flowering: July - October

Other common names: buttonweed, golden buttons, ginger plant, golden buttons.

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