• Japanese Indigo flowers by Hudson Valley Seed Co., vibrant blue blossoms with delicate petals and lush green foliage.
  • Japanese Indigo flowers with vibrant blue petals displayed on a gray background, by Hudson Valley Seed Co.
  • Japanese Indigo flower cluster from Hudson Valley Seed Co., showcasing vibrant blue and purple blooms, natural and detailed.
  • Japanese Indigo flowers by Hudson Valley Seed Co. with vibrant blue petals and lush green foliage in full bloom.
1 4
Hudson Valley Seed Co.

Japanese Indigo

Persicaria tinctoria

Certified Organic

Create vibrant dyes multiple ways.

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.

Unit Price Quantity Availability
25 Seeds $4.99
In Stock
25 seeds | Art Pack $5.79
In Stock
75 Seeds $8.39
In Stock
225 Seeds $13.79
In Stock

Price as selected: $0.00

Ships within 2-3 business days

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 Maturity 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.
    Japanese Indigo flowers by Hudson Valley Seed Co., vibrant blue blossoms with delicate petals and lush green foliage.
    Japanese Indigo flowers with vibrant blue petals displayed on a gray background, by Hudson Valley Seed Co.
    Japanese Indigo flower cluster from Hudson Valley Seed Co., showcasing vibrant blue and purple blooms, natural and detailed.
    Japanese Indigo flowers by Hudson Valley Seed Co. with vibrant blue petals and lush green foliage in full bloom.
    • 5 stars: 7 (70%)
    • 4 stars: 0 (0%)
    • 3 stars: 2 (20%)
    • 2 stars: 1 (10%)
    • 1 star: 0 (0%)
    T
    Timothy R.

    I am so excited to have my first harvest and make some beautiful indigo dye!

    Timothy R. review photo
    E
    Erin M.

    We got this to teach our kids about natural dyes. It has grown beautifully, even in a small container on our deck.

    Erin M. review photo
    M
    Maureen M.

    We planted Japanese indigo seeds for the first time this year (in Pennsylvania) and we’ve had fun watching them grow. Hudson Valley seeds have always had a terrific germination rate for us. The healthy, attractive indigo plants have grown well in a raised bed with rich soil and also in a section of our yard that has heavy clay soil. For the first harvest of leaves I dyed merino wool and the color was a beautiful blue!

    Maureen M. review photo
    S
    Susan

    Love to grow these seeds!

    H
    Hillary

    I started my seeds indoors, and then transferred them to pots on my semi sunny patio. As long as I've given the plants water (they bounce back amazingly from what looks like near death), they have grown vigorously indeed. And they turn my wool blue; so far I've only used the fresh leaf method.

    D
    Deborah H.

    I received a packet of 25 seeds however, when I opened it there were only 11 seeds! I hope they all grow!

    We are so sorry to hear that your seed packet was light on seeds! We apologize for the inconvenience and we will be reaching out to you directly to get this remedied for you.

    S
    Sarah

    Bought a 75 seeds packet, I only received 29 seeds. Hopefully they all sprout and grow.

    We are so sorry to hear that your seed packet was light on seeds! We apologize for the inconvenience it caused you and we will be reaching out to you directly to get this remedied for you.

    E
    Elaine A.

    The indigo seeds sprouted quickly in my patio pot. Was anxiously awaiting experimenting with the leaves for dying. Unfortunately the chipmunks like indigo too! May try again next year 🐿🐿🐿

    K
    K.D.

    I don't know if it was the wrong soil or the birds ate the seeds, but I could not get this to grow at all.

    Thank you for your review! We're sorry that your Japanese Indigo did not grow well for you. Our current germination rate for this seed is 83%. Please reach out to us if you'd like some help figuring out what happened. We are always here to help if we can! Thank you again.

    m
    m.a.m.

    So happy to find this Indigo plant that I can “dye” my wool with….have done it once before can’t wait
    Thanks
    Maureen