Dye plant seeds ‘West’

• 5 packets of organic dye plant seeds
• Grown by Botanika
• With sowing and growing user guide
• Color harmony: The greenish-yellow (tansy) and the gold (tarragon) are the persistently warring strident etudes of the fading ‘West’, made irresistibly sublime by the stubbornly descending lazy tones of orange-brown (eucalyptus), reddish-brown (St. John’s Wort) and red (woodruff).

Southern blue gum / eucalytus globulus /
The ‘Tasmanian eucalyptus’ is a lush evergreen, and the primary source of eucalyptus essential oil. Its blue-green, aromatic leaves yield rust and tan colours with immersion dyeing, and with the ecoprint technique they give diverse prints. Its flower is a great attraction for bees, its honey is reminiscent of muscat. Eucalyptus repels mosquitoes and other insects with its strong scent. It has been used in traditional folk medicine to treat colds and chills. Essential oil distilled from the fresh leaves is a strong aromatherapy agent with antiseptic and antibacterial effects. For Tasmanian indigenous peoples, the eucalyptus tree is a mythical symbol of the underworld, the earth and the sky. The sacred eucalyptus is the national symbol of Tasmania.

Dyer’s woodruff / asperula tinctoria /
The ‘ruby of the dye garden’ is a perennial, steppe cleistogamic related to madder. It is spacious, wide spreading and prone to creep. Woodruff is a heat and light-loving plant. It develops most beautifully in calcareous soils and has the highest extractable dye content here too. Its valuable dye lies in its thin roots and is complex to harvest. A dye that is more difficult to access and can be extracted in smaller quantities; – wise once said such a precious merit- is a true dye rarity. It was also known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as a fabric dye, but it enjoyed great popularity in Dalmatia and as a more cold-tolerant variety, especially in Scandinavia. The Swedes painted their characteristic wooden houses with pigments matured at length – up to a century – from the famous Falun copper mines and dyed their folk costumes the traditional red with dyer’s woodruff.

Mexican tarragon / tagetes lucida /
The ‘cloud plant’ is a perennial asteraceae with charming inflorescences from the mountain slopes of Mexico and Guatemala. It prefers sunshine, warmth and humidity. Its bright yellow flowers open in late summer and early autumn. The textile dyer is gifted with the warm shades of gold and; – perhaps most excitingly – a mint-anise fragrant dye from the Mexican tarragon. It was first mentioned by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. The Huichol Indians smoked it dried in a pipe, and drunk it as a fermented decoction to bring about visions. The Aztecs also used it as an incense and chocolate flavouring. In folk medicine, it is a beneficial suppressor of malaria, rattlesnake and scorpion bites as a compress and tea. The tarragon-flavoured pericón tea is a common remedy used to relieve stomach ailments throughout South America to this day.

Tansy / tanacetum vulgare /
The ‘witcher of the dye garden’ is a perennial variety widespread throughout Europe. It is water-demanding, in sunny and semi-shady places it can grow over a meter. Scented with camphor, its lovely, button-like yellow flowers yield an intense warm yellow dye. It is an effective protective and supportive plant in companion planting. Tansy enriches the soil with potassium, which is important for plant growth. When companion planted, it keeps ants and other insect pests away, but not only in the ground, also in dried form in the larder or indoors. Due to its high thujone content, it is not suitable for internal consumption and is highly toxic. American colonizers often wrapped their food in the tansy leaves that repelled flies, thus keeping the processed raw meat fresh.

St. John’s Wort / hypericum perforatum /
‘The dye garden’s shaman’ is a complex dye plant. The flowers, leaves and flowers stalks – alone and in combination – yield shades of reddish brown, olive green and honey yellow. Macerated in oil, the blossoms soak the oil marinade blood red. In this form it is an excellent wound care oil and skin regenerator. It is an effective antidepressant as a decoction in tea. Trusting in the magical powers of St. John’s Wort our ancestors threw it on the fire in purification ceremonies. Its name in Latin and Greek; – hyper – means supernatural. It is food for thought, and is a special – yet in the wonderful order of nature a truly indisputable phenomenon – that the apex of the flowering of the ‘fuga daemonum’ coincides exactly with the summer solstice – the day of St. John the Baptist and St. John. A glorious celebration of the abundance of flowers, sun and light.