Colour Me Local Dye Garden

About

The Colour Me Local Dye Garden attracts people for art-making, education, and enjoyment of the outdoors.

Throughout the warmer seasons, Still Moon works with the community to plant, tend, harvest, process and use plants most known for their pigments. The garden provides a space for natural dye research and education.

The garden is also a venue for community workshops that teach eco-art techniques such as weaving, spinning, drawing and painting, and more.

The garden supports pollinators, insects and wildlife, and is home to many Indigenous plants stewarded by our Indigenous neighbours.

Interested in upcoming events at the garden? Visit our Events Page, Join our Newsletter, or follow us on socials.

Gardeners’ Gatherings

Join us at a Gardeners’ Gathering! These events happen throughout the warmer months when the garden needs tending. The community works together to maintain the garden and process dye plants. Think of this as a “learning work party”. Every week there will be different projects and tasks that we will be working on together.

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Natural Dye Classes

These classes offer hands-on and technical experience with natural dyeing. Classes are open to dyers of all skill levels, from first-timers to experienced dyers. Workshops are recommended for people wanting to learn, experiment and understand the natural dye process. Materials are provided and participants take home their work.

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Plants and Colours Produced

Within the garden you will find plants that are used to create a range of vibrant colours: yellow, purple, blue, green, pink, orange, rust, and more . Different parts of these plants are used to create dyes, including the roots, stems, bark, leaves, flowers, and fruits. These plants are used for dyeing materials such as cotton, linen, wool, and silk.

Reds/Pinks: Hollyhock, Lupins, Dyer’s Coreopsis, Madder, Red Columbine
Yellows: Heather, Rhubarb, Goldenrod, Marigold, Dyer’s Coreopsis, Calendula
Greens: Heather, Rhubarb, Goldenrod, Lupin, Elderberry
Blues: Woad, Indigo, Elderberry
Browns: Lupin, Dyer’s Coreopsis

Garden History

With help from community members, Still Moon installed Phase 1 of the Colour Me Local Dye Garden in April 2019 as part of the Alder Eco-Arts Hub residency at Slocan Park Fieldhouse. The Dye Garden transformed an empty corner lot into a community arts space and a beautiful space for enjoying plants and nature.

In 2022, we added signs to the garden so that visitors can identify the plants and learn about their uses.

In 2023, we began construction of a Cob Garden Shed. The shed offers permanent on-site storage, which allows us to expand our outdoor art programming and is itself an artistic creation that adds to the visual interest of the garden. The building was created in 2023 by artist Clare Kenny with the help of over 45 community volunteers. Learn more here.

The garden is continually developing. Each year, we are planting native species, experimenting with new dye plants, and creating new art projects with its products.