Sunflowers for Dyeing

Sunflowers have been used for centuries, if not millennium by the Hopi Indians to dye a range of reds, purples and blues. This summer has been especially good for growing sunflowers anywhere in Europe.

These de-flowered seed heads below are a variety called Van Gogh. As you can see the wonderful whirl of seeds are purple when young, turning to purply black as they mature. Although all the seeds I sowed looked the same, some plants have grown with several flower heads to each plant these having the purple natural dye producing seeds shown below.

However some are giant one headed monsters with a yellow ray of petals, while the many headed sunflowers have yellow petals tinged with purple in the inside.

I suspect the seeds of these, which are not as yet mature will eventually be a different colour to those above. This is due to the mother plant from which the seeds originated being cross pollinated with common or garden sunflowers which are everywhere in France.

Alas I have a field of sunflowers less than a kilometre away from my garden so the cross pollination will have continued, aided by bees and hornets, which particularly seem to favour sunflowers. Next year I will once again have a mixed crop, some which can be used for natural dyeing and some which are just to be admired.