Ever wondered what people used to use in Scotland to colour their fabrics? We have been working with horticultural student Julia Herzog in search of traditional dye plants of Scotland, with an aim to create a native dye garden of our own here at RSPB Loch Leven. Today we began installing the garden which will be used for education in the future; I’m excited to see what we make.
Many plants which we may think of as native – including nettles and rhubarb – come from further afield. Even woad which is famous for making a deep blue from its leaves is originally from the steppe, desert zones of the Caucasus and central Asia. After careful planning with our ecologist we have selected a range of Scottish plants which have the potential to give us red, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, brown and blue.
Watch this space...