Dyers Chamomile (anthemis tinctoria) has been used since medieval times to produce a warm lemony yellow. It is also a wonderful plant for wildlife, on the RHS pollinators plant list as important for bumble bees, solitary bees & hoverflies: all are gardeners friends. The aromatic, silvery-green, feathery foliage is covered with pretty yellow daisy-like flowers – these can be harvested regularly to provide sufficient for dyeing. Plant height to 45cm-60cm, summer flowering. It is a short-lived perennial but best grown as an annual
Price for 100 seeds.
SOW: in spring or early autumn, in trays or small pots, either surface sow and seal in a bag until germination OR lightly cover, keep warm. Sowing in autumn produces larger plants but you will need to over winter in a well-ventilated, cool frost-free place as necessary.
GROW: are large enough to handle, pot up individually into 8cm pots and grow on in a cool frame before planting out into a sunny position with well drained soil. If the soil is rich they will grow lush, taller but floppy. They are happy with poorer well drained soil (not as tall). If the plants are cut back close to the ground before the flowering finishes, in September, they will produce some new growth before the growing season ends, which helps the plants to overwinter.
USES:
Natural dye plant – see dyeing information below
- Dyers Chamomile gives a warm lemony yellow colour
- The flower heads are picked as they mature and are then dried or they can be frozen without damaging their dyeing properties
Great for wildlife:
- important for bumble bees, solitary bees & hoverflies
Household use:
Historical uses:
- Used as a dye plant from Medieval times.Medicinal use is not well researched so caution should be taken – it is said that the plant has antispasmodic, diaphoretic, emetic and vesicant properties.In simple terms ‘vesicant’ means to cause blisters, deliberately using the leaves to rub on to insect stings is not encouraged.
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