Growing a Pigment Garden
These last few years I have loved turning plant matter into a pigment (called lake pigments) and then turning it into watercolor paint. I often will forage for plant material as I love to explore the environment I am in. This year I have decided that I want to create greater quantities of pigment and I am focusing a large portion of my garden on certain plants that are destined to become watercolor paint.
Growing plants is in my blood. My parent’s own a greenhouse and I grew up among flowers and vegetables. I am excited to see how my home grown pigments grow this year.
Marigolds
For the last few years I have been saving the seeds from my marigold plants. There ends up being a combo of yellow and orange flowers. The color is a warm and golden color.
Madder Root
I am in a three year relationship with my madder plant; this year is year two. After three years the roots will be ready to harvest and the roots will create a red pigment. For now I will tend to my plants and use purchased madder.
Indigo
Last year I grew indigo for the first time. It grew wonderfully but my extraction failed. This year I am giving it another try as I love to make Maya Blue and would love for the indigo to be sourced from my garden.
Cosmos
Last year I grew the beautiful and striking tango cosmos. These bright orange flowers turn into a bright orange watercolor.
Dahlias
For the last few years I have grown magenta dahlias. They turn into a pigment that is an earthy green-yellow color. Sadly last year most of my tubers got crown gall and had to be thrown out in the fall. This year I will be growing some new varieties and I am excited to see if the pigment color shifts.
There are a few other seeds that I am curious about growing: black hollyhocks, murasaki, Hopi Sunflower, safflowers, and dyer’s chamomile. Also, my second goal in my garden is to have a cut flower garden. There are so many other flowers that I will be growing and I am excited to experiment with turning them into pigment!
