In this feature, I visited Pigment Organic Dyes, a flower farm in Devon who grow dye plants and flowers. The article explores the farming and social enterprise principles behind the operation.
“The towers of tiny pale yellow flowers sway in the wind, the air thrumming with scores of pollinators. At the base of each spike, the clusters of flowers have already been replaced by seeds, and it’s these seeds that hold this plant’s secret. This is weld, a plant that has been used by humans for thousands of years to impart a vibrant yellow colour to fibres. From colouring the robes of the Roman Vestal Virgins to helping produce the green clothes of Robin Hood’s band, weld has played a key role in the fabrics of our past. But for a growing community of natural dyers across the UK, plants like weld also hold an important role in the future of dyeing.”
Excerpt from Countryfile Magazine, July 2024, words only.