Hudson Valley Seed Co.
Japanese Indigo
Persicaria tinctoria
Certified Organic
Grow your own blue dye! Indigo is one of the oldest plant textile dyes, and it’s pretty as an ornamental, too. These vigorous plants produce an abundance of side shoots for cut-and-come-again plant dye material and, as they mature they yield pretty clusters of pink flowers. Achieving the famous dark blue hues requires advanced dye techniques, but it’s easy (and fun!) to produce aqua, teal, and pale blue-green with fresh leaves. In our trials, we had good results with the fresh leaf method on natural fabric blends pre-treated with soya. Some excellent blog tutorials on the process can be found via The Dogwood Dyer and Rebecca Desnos.
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Growing instructions
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Sow seeds shallowly and provide warmth, light and even moisture. To aid in germination, seeds may also be soaked for 12-24 hours in advance. Transplant outdoors 12" apart after danger of frost has passed. Harvest as desired by cutting above a branching point, ideally before flowering for dye.
Product Details
| Days to Maturity | 75 days |
|---|---|
| Days to Germination | 10-14 days |
| Width at Maturity | 24" |
| Height at Maturiry | 36" |
| Hardiness Zone Range | Annual |
| Sun Conditions | Full Sun (8+ Hours Sun) |
| Planting Depth | 1/8" |
| Row Spacing | 12" |
| Plant Spacing | 12" |
About the artist
As a fourth-generation Japanese American, Patricia Wakida has dedicated much of her career to researching and creating artwork that is reflective of her culture, history, and art. That work has always been informed by other artists whose work reflects the struggle for equality by exploring astonishing resilience of the mind and cultural adaptation to survive.
