Colour Me Local

About

Still Moon’s Colour Me Local Dye Garden, located on the West Side of the Renfrew Ravine, is a community engaged initiative focused on planting, maintaining, harvesting, processing and using plants most known for their pigments. In addition to natural dye extraction, the garden supports pollinators, insects and wildlife, and is home to many Indigenous plants stewarded by our Indigenous neighbours.

Still Moon, with help from community members, 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. Our Colour Me Local Dye Garden is in continual development; we are planting native species, experimenting with new dye plants, building garden boxes, and ensuring its continual growth.

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

Get Involved

Gardeners’ Gatherings

Still Moon hosts a free Gardeners’ Gathering one Wednesday and one Saturday per month during the warmer months, giving the community the opportunity to participate in the maintenance and processing of the Colour Me Local Dye Garden. Think of this as a “learning work party”. Every week there will be different projects and tasks that we will be working on together.

Learn More

Natural Dye Classes

Still Moon hosts paid Natural Dye Classes that offer hands-on and technical experience with natural dyeing. Classes are inclusive of dyers of all skill levels, from first-timers to experienced dyers. The paid series is recommended for individuals wanting to learn, experiment and understand the natural dye process. Materials are provided and participants take home their work.