Glossop Dye Garden
The Glossop Dye Garden project will be part of the Derbyshire Makes Festival in 2027.
Plant and harvest your own flowers at home, and help us create natural dyes to use on textiles.
Sign up here to get involved.
Already got your seeds? Discover growing instructions on this page.
Key Information
Email Sophie@highpeakarts.org for more information
Pot Marigold - Calendula Officinalis
Also called pot marigold – but not to be confused with French Marigold.
Dye colour: yellows and greens.
Position: Likes full sun or partial shade.
Flowers: June – October.
Height: 60cm/24”
Sowing Indoors
Sow in pots of moist seed compost & cover with a fine layer of compost. Keep in the light & the surface of the compost should be moist but not waterlogged.
When large enough to handle, transplant seedlings into 3-inch pots or into their final growing place.
Direct Sowing – March to April or September to October
Weed and rake the ground.
Sow in shallow lines, 1cm deep & cover with a fine layer of soil. Water well.
Thin the young plants out to 20cm apart. Thinning’s can be transplanted elsewhere.
Harvest blooms throughout the season to allow new flowers to form. Towards the end of the summer, leave the old flower heads to develop seeds for flowers next year. Water in dry conditions.
French Marigold – Tagetes Patula
French Marigold ‘Tangerine’ is easy to grow and quick to flower.
Dye colour: yellow
Position: Sun or shade
Flowers: late spring – autumn
Height: 30cm
Sowing indoors – February to May
Sow in pots or trays of moist compost and cover with a fine sprinkling of compost.
Cover the tray with plastic wrap and aim to keep 21 degrees C. Remove the plastic wrap when the seeds have germinated – about 7 to 14 days.
Keep the compost moist but not waterlogged. When large enough to handle, transplant the seedlings into 7cm pots to grow on.
Move to a sheltered place outside for a week after the last frost, protecting from the hot sun and wind. Fertilise until planted into final positions. Over-fertilising will produce foliage over flowers.
Sowing directions:
Weed and rake the soil.
Sow thinly 6mm (1/4 inch) deep in rows. Water regularly, especially during dry periods. When large enough to handle, thin out to about 15 to 22cm apart.
Pinch out the first set of flower buds to encourage bushier plants.
Harvest the flowers regularly, let some go to seed towards the end so they will self-seed. When new seedlings emerge the following spring, you can transplant them when they are a few inches tall.
Golden Tickseed - Coreopsis Tinctoria
Dye colour: yellow / orange
Position: Full sun
Flowers: July – September
Height: 30 – 60cm
Sow Indoors
Sow indoors in good seed compost about 1/2 inch deep, keeping soil moist at about 20 – 25 degrees C. Germination in about 15 – 20 days.
When the seedlings appear, provide plenty of light on a sunny windowsill.
If you are growing in small plugs, transplant the seedlings to 3 – 4-inch pots when large enough to handle before transplanting into the garden.
Move to a sheltered place outside for a week after the last frost, protecting from the hot sun and wind.
Sowing Directions:
Choose a location in full sun with well-drained soil. Weed, dig, add sand into the topsoil and rake.
Scatter the seeds on the surface of the soil and do not cover with soil. Water well, but gently.
Harvest flowers, but at the end, allow some flower heads to remain on the plant to allow them to self-seed, ready for next year.
Dyer’s Chamomile – Anthemis Tinctoria
Dye colour: yellow and buff
Position: Sunny, well-drained soil
Flowers: July – September
Height: 30 – 50cm
Indoors Sowing Directions:
Sow on the surface of compost in trays in March – April at about 20 degrees C.
Water gently – do not allow seeds to dry out. Germinates in about 2 weeks.
When seedlings are large enough to handle, separate them into individual pots and plant them out into their final position, 30 – 40cm apart, after the last frost.
Outdoor Sewing Directions:
Can be sown directly in spring or autumn, where they are to flower and covered lightly with soil. Water regularly until germination.
Harvest flowers to promote bushiness.
Safflower – Carthamus Tinctorius
Also known as False saffron
Dye colour: yellow/red
Position: Likes sun or partial shade.
Flowers: mid-summer
Height: 24 – 30”
Indoor Sewing Instructions:
Sow in small pots about 1/2 inch deep and cover with seed compost. Water carefully from below. Germination is about 14 – 21 days at a temperature of 15 – 21 degrees C (60 – 70F).
Plant out into their final growing position, 30 – 40 cm apart, after the last frost.
Outdoor Sowing Instructions:
Weed and rake the ground.
Once temperatures reach 13 – 16 degrees C, Sow in the final location, in shallow lines 1cm deep, covering lightly with soil. Water well and regularly. Germination will occur in about 21 days. Thin the seedlings to 30 – 40 cm apart.
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