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Wild Colours natural dyes > yellow dye plants > dyers greenweed
Dyers Greenweed, Dyers Broom or Woadwaxen
(Genista tinctoria)
Let the plant grow to 30 cm high before carefully planting it into its final position. Think carefully before planting this bush, as it does not transplant at all well. Dyers Greenweed prefers a sheltered position but does not like shade. I have not found this an easy plant to grow; it is susceptible to wind damage and needs to be very well staked and tied up.
It takes nearly two years for the young plants to reach full size. Dyers' greenweed can also be reproduced from cuttings, but the success rate is not high and the plants do not grow very fast.
You can try to save your own seeds, but very few seeds are produced in a cold year. Dry the small black seed pods in a container with a loose lid on top, as you will find that the pods split open as they dry and they often jump quite a distance.
Harvesting Dyer’s Greenweed
Harvest the plant by cutting branches about two weeks after it has started to flower. This pruning helps to reduce wind damage later on in the year. If you are not using the leaves straight away, dry and store the cuttings out of sunlight.
Dyeing with Dyers’ Greenweed
Dyers’ Greenweed contains luteolin, the same water-fast pigment as weld. You can follow the instructions for dyeing with weld to obtain clear yellows.
The once famous Kendal green was wool dyed yellow with greenweed and overdyed with woad or indigo.
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Updated on 19 April 2021
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