Coreopsis tinctoria Seeds - Plains coreopsis

Coreopsis tinctoria is an easy-to-grow and drought-tolerant dye plant. Throughout the summer, it is covered in bright yellow flowers with red spots, revealing a brown centre. They can be used to dye textiles orange-yellow. This large, bushy annual will find its place in a sunny flower bed or even in the vegetable garden. It will attract bees and butterflies. It is an ideal plant for a drought-tolerant garden.

From the Asteraceae family, the Coreopsis genus includes about 80 to 100 species of annuals and perennials that grow in meadows and wooded areas of Central and North America. The tinctoria species is a widespread annual plant in North America. As its name suggests, it is a dye plant. The flowers of this Coreopsis are used for dyeing or pigment production in shades of orange-yellow. They are hand-picked when fully open. For the mordant dyeing technique, they are used fresh or dried. This technique requires a textile preparation step that involves boiling the fabric with alum powder for an hour and then rinsing it. Otherwise, they are dried and ground to be transformed into pigment.

Coreopsis tinctoria forms a bushy clump with light and slender stems. With rapid growth, it can reach between 60 and 90 cm tall and 30 to 45 cm wide. Its basal leaves measure 7 to 10 cm long. They are medium to dark green, entire, pinnate or bipinnate with linear leaflets. From June to October, it is covered in notched ligulate flowers in yellow with reddish-brown aureoles and a central reddish-brown disk. They measure between 3 and 5 cm in diameter. They are nectar-rich and make excellent wildflower bouquets.

If you want to start natural dyeing, here are other easy-to-grow dye plants that can join your Coreopsis tinctoria in the garden. Consider Anthemis tinctoria Wargrave Variety which produces a yellow colour or Centaurea cyanus which offers a beautiful blue shade.