The Dye Garden

This has been an outstanding summer for flowers here. We've gotten several July rains that we normally wouldn't be getting and the gardens look the best they've ever.  In addition to the extra rain, we also added in some extra fencing this spring to keep little black lambies and marauding sheep from pillaging plumes on those occasions that I leave a gate open or someone big and fat leans on the gate and breaks the hook. Hmmm, wonder who'd be fat and cunning enough to figure out something like that... ;-)

The garden was designed mostly for decoration, featuring as many different colors and varieties of natural dye plants as possible, but not really producing enough to harvest for more than just small samples. Originally there were some wool protecting plants included, too, but they've all been pushed out or relocated.  Black-eyed Susan and fennel are two plants that are pretty...but very pushy.  

I can't remember what thetall purple plant on the left hand side is and my dye books are up in the Wool House.  Maybe someone can jump in?  Whatever the tall purple spikey flower is, that's a winner for sure as it blooms and bloom and blooms, year after year.  I'd put it somewhere bigger next time though.  It would like (and deserves) a little more room.

As far as the other plants, I'm going to do my best to label them correctly and hope that someone can correct me if I'm wrong.  Regarding what colors they make when used to dye wool, it depends on what part of the plant is used, what's used to mordant...  There are several really nice books on natural dyeing and a ton of information on the internet.  I just like looking at the pretty flowers ;-).

Some purple coneflower getting over shadowed by the mystery purple plant.  Normally they'd be much taller, but they're doing the best they can under the purple power house.  I'll move them down towards the other end this fall.

We've had almost more bumble type bees than honey bees this spring and summer.  I'm not sure why.  The honey bees are working the white clover now, but usually they'd be all over these flowers and the lavender as well and they're not.  Very curious.

Black-eyed Susan

Yarrow

Looky looky!  Do you see it?

I think this is cat mint.  It too has bloomed and bloomed all spring and summer.  I guess I put it in for the cats, but this hummer likes it as well.  Borage in the back.  Another plant good for bees that blooms and blooms.

Hopefully you can click to biggify.  I think he or she was turning around in flight, checking out the big sunflower off to the left, just out of view.  I love seeing the hummingbirds working flowers.  I keep two feeders filled all the time, but they have plenty to chose from around the yard. They like the blanket flowers out front, too.

Another full(ish) view.  You can see the borage down by the garden shed.  That's where I spotted the hummer.

Fennel.  Lovely smell (just like licorice), but holy moly it's invasive.  Or at least here it is.  I pull quite a bit and what gets left or keeps popping up adds some dark texture to the rest of the flowers...if you can keep it under control.

Marigolds.  Mine are late blooming this year, probably because I started them all from seeds rather than buying plants.  I think next year I'll set out some plants and add seeds around.  I never was a huge fan of marigolds until I started growing them.  What hard workers!

Tick seed?  It's tucked in by the water hydrant and it too blooms all summer even with Baaxter sticking his head through the fence and chomping them off when he was a baby.  Oh wait, he was chomping on the yellow coreopsis, but it too toughed it out and is still blooming and I missed getting a picture of them :-/. 

Zinnias.  Definitely a top five flower in my book.  If you look back at the first picture, the zinnias fill the entire raised bed on the right side of the brick walk way.  I'd put my whole yard in zinnias if I could.  Imagine, an entire yard full of bright colored blooms :-D.

Adjacent to the flower beds, the lavender.  I lost many many plants over the hard winter, but I've replanted and everything looks to be growing well.  I'm concerned that with the cool summer we are going to have another cold winter, so am trying to figure out a better way to over-winter everyone.  

Several of the losses were to be expected as they were "tender" varieties that had been gifted to me. Everything out there now is "hardy".  They are in raised beds and only lightly mulched with straw.  I've been told keeping the wind off them will be a big help.  Any thoughts?

And peering over the garden gate, my tomatoes and zucchini and off in the distance Julie's gladiolas :-).  The tomatoes on this side of the fence are the big ones and the single plant in the outside bed is a Coyote cherry tomato.  The tomatoes haven't loved this cool, wet weather.  I think the upcoming week will be more to their liking.

I missed a few plants and several are later in the summer bloomers, including the sunflowers, so I'll try to do an update in a few weeks.  I'm sure the grass won't still be spring green, but who knows.  Hard to believe it's the beginning of August already!