Plant Dyes for Natural Fiber

I used to compost the zinnias, let the hibiscus flowers drop and ignore the elderberry. Indigo? After a lifetime in horticulture, I was unaware of its magic. Now, the vegetable garden is more madder than ‘maters, more indigo than herbs, more zinnias than zucchini. Drying screens, fleece and bags of dye materials occupy more space than I ever dreamed possible. Each December, part of the wood shop transforms to kitchen with a rollaway sink, water heating on the woodstove and racks of colored fleece.