Guest Blog by Lou Turnbull

A Natural Dye Garden & Flax Patch

By Lou Turnbull

We have been trialling an exciting project at The Garth this year on a revived chicken run which has been transformed into a natural dye garden. I have been photographing the process since April when the dye beds were first built and young plants were transplanted from my own small dye garden at home. It has been wonderful to see the plants spring to life and grow so abundantly. Right now in mid-summer, the garden is in full bloom and it seems like a good opportunity to share the photographs so far.

Photo 1 – Preparing the dye beds April 2026

I have been growing dye plants for several years now as part of my creative practice in natural colour and materials. By bringing them into a community space their beauty and colour can be grown, shared and enjoyed together. As you can see in the photograph below they really love their new home. We are growing Madder (red), Weld (yellow), Woad (blue), Japanese Indigo (blue), Dyer’s Chamomile (yellow), Coreopsis tinctoria (orange) and Hollyhock (burgundy).

Photo 2 – Dye plants spring to life May & June 2026

Left to right – weld spikes, woad leaves, madder, weld and woad in flower

The art of natural dyeing and colour making is a wonderful way of connecting and learning about nature. It asks us to follow the seasons, slow down, notice and observe. It connects us to the land and has a rich regional and global history. It is creative, fun and educational and it is always great to see folk’s reactions when they see a beautiful colour on fabric or paper and learn that it came from a plant! But of course this is how it always used to be done, we have just forgotten.

Photo 3 – Flax seedlings to stems 14^th May – 18^th June 2026

In addition to dye plants, we have been able to grow flax. The soil is poorer at the top of the bed but as you can see it doesn’t seem to mind and has grown beautifully. Several of us planted the seeds on 30^th April. The rows help to sow the seeds evenly and makes weeding lighter work and also creates a stunning architectural shape. In June-July delicate blue flowers adorn their tops and it is a picture to see it swaying in the breeze and they are incredibly soft to touch. We are all looking forward to lifting the flax any day soon which will be laid to 'dew ret' (laying the stalks out to break down naturally) for processing into cordage, linen thread or other creative projects. Growing flax in a region that has a local history of growing in North Yorkshire feels very exciting; something of a revival!

Photo 4 – Flax in bloom and seed July 2026

So here we are in July. We have already harvested Weld which is hanging to dry at The Garth and we have drying racks for the Dyer’s Chamomile and Coreopsis. I have harvested some of the Woad plants and so far created a soft teal blue on silk as well as a vivid yellow from weld. We have also had many bees, butterflies and insects visit the dye garden as well as a hummingbird hawk moth which lays its eggs on bedstraws of which madder is one.

Photo 5 – Summer harvest July 2026

We are hoping to bring some of the dye harvest along to Knaresborough Forest Day on 13^th August as well as some flax for a craft activity. Natural colour and materials are a really wonderful way to engage community in nature and the land. They spark the imagination and curiosity. I have had many interesting conversations with the volunteers at KFP about the plants we have been growing and what colour they produce. And then there is Knaresborough Forest Park itself. Surrounded and full of natural colour in the trees and wild plants that grow on the land. But that is for another time. So many colourful possibilities that connect us.

Photo 6 – Colour making from KFP’s woad and weld July 2026