by Rita Buchanan

From Plant to Pot: Growing Dyes for Natural Fibers. Now you can keep the beautiful colors of your summer garden with you all year long in the form of vibrant dyes for natural fibers. A Dyer’s Garden walks you through a garden season from design to planting to harvesting for the dyepot.

by Rita Buchanan

Growing Plants for Natural Dyes and Fibers. Long before the invention of pottery, men and women wove baskets from plant fibers. Today, craftworkers creating textiles and other products make use of many of these same resources and methods. Thoroughly researched and charmingly written, this practical guide by a veteran botanist and horticulturist provides weavers and gardeners alike with a wealth of information on growing plants for use in weaving and dyeing projects.

Bear's Breeches

Clump-forming perennial with deeply lobed, dark green leaves, shiny above to 3". White flowers with purple-shaded bracts are borne in 3" long racemes, often with purple-tinted stems.

Spiny Bear's Breeches

Similar to Acanthus mollis latifolius, yet more purple and slightly spiny, flowers bracts, and basal, semi-evergreen, sharply cut, lobed leaves, each lobe/section sharply toothed and spiny. More hardy than the above variety.

Fern Leaf Maple

Delicate, palmate green leaves, with fern-like, sharply lobed leaflets that turn from green to yellow/orange, then a brilliant red fall color.

Bloodgood Red Maple

Round-headed, deciduous tree with deeply cut, 5-lobed, dark red-purple leaves, turning bright red in the fall, and red fruit.