(Reseda luteola)

Weld is arguably the strongest and most lightfast source for natural yellow dye. It is a biennial that will form a rosette in its first year, followed by blooms that reach 4-6’ in its second year. The flowers are beautifully fragrant, and are great to lure in pollinators. For dyeing, it’s best to wait until the second year and harvest the flowering stalks to use fresh or dried. You can also pick leaves from the rosette for dyeing during the plant’s first year.

Direct sow seeds in late summer for small overwintering rosettes or early spring for a more robust rosette that will bloom the following year. There always seems to be a few spring-seeded individuals that bloom the first year. You can also start seeds indoors in late winter and then transplant after your last frost. Its best to transplant them when they are still small so that their taproot doesn’t become stunted. Seeds can take up to a month to germinate. We always over-seed as many seeds have built in dormancy, and will come up sporadically. We gently sow seeds on the soil’s surface because they require sunlight for germination. Thin to 1.5-2’ to give room for large second year blooms.

If you don’t have a growing location with multi-year access to support biennials, Dyer’s Chamomile is a good alternative yellow dye in a single growing season. Dyer’s chamomile is also easier to start from seed.

Packet: 600 seeds