tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post2696391774845846834..comments2024-01-18T21:16:15.516+03:00Comments on Riihivilla, Dyeing with natural dyes: Dyeing with rhododendron leaves Rhodonlehdillä värjäystäLeenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14266878515009058403noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-83369886682478849782012-02-05T17:34:26.100+02:002012-02-05T17:34:26.100+02:00Hi, you must mean Rhododendron ponticus, which is ...Hi, you must mean Rhododendron ponticus, which is poisonous. It is not hardy in Finland and doesn't grow here. There are differences in the Rhododendron species. Ledum palustre which is related to Rhododendrons, is traditionally used for dyeing in Scandinavia, and also as herbal medicine.Leenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14266878515009058403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-64429937235217732692012-02-05T13:34:38.906+02:002012-02-05T13:34:38.906+02:00Hello, have just discovered your wonderful blog! A...Hello, have just discovered your wonderful blog! All parts of rhododendrons are poisonous, the wood shouldn't be burnt on an open fire because the smoke is toxic to inhale . . . draw your own conclusions!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-66273723646620584142009-03-13T22:20:00.000+02:002009-03-13T22:20:00.000+02:00Bettina, I was late answering:)Remember me next au...Bettina, I was late answering:)<BR/>Remember me next autumn if you get seeds, please:)Leenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14266878515009058403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-71986777588024319612009-03-12T15:18:00.000+02:002009-03-12T15:18:00.000+02:00Leena, sorry, I am quite late in answering.... I c...Leena, sorry, I am quite late in answering.... I checked my gunnera plant, but I think the huge flower/seed stalk has rotted away during the winter:( I'll keep my eyes open for the next one... and you're right, I am not sure what kind of winter temperatures it can stand - after all the irish winter over here rarely goes below 5 or 6 deg.C minus.... I should switch my brain cells on before typing:))Woolly Bitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11961632742998726155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-10639811784406000162009-03-05T19:14:00.000+02:002009-03-05T19:14:00.000+02:00Thanks for the comments:)It is so nice to get them...Thanks for the comments:)<BR/>It is so nice to get them even if I am now too busy to write anything new:(<BR/><BR/>Nomad, my friend from whom I got the leaves has many hundreds different species and cultivars, so these were a mixture, but the biggest ones are the Finnish cultivars which have R.brachycarpum ssp tigerstedtii as a parent so I suspect a big part of the leaves were from them, but there were also leaves with indumentum beneath the leaves so they came from different species. I think different species might give different shade of yellows.<BR/><BR/>Bettina, I have found that Rhododendrons are very easy to germinate: you sow them on top of peat (or other acidic medium) and don't cover the seeds. They germinate after two weeks in 20C, but they are very small for a long time. http://www.rhododendron.org/v48n1p10.htm The best page how to grow them is in Finnish, unfortunately http://www.rhodogarden.com/plantcare/kylvo.html<BR/><BR/>I haven't tried Gunnera tinctoria, it looks like a realy nice plant in pictures, like a giant rhubarb. I'm not sure it survives our winters? It's interesting to hear what color you get from it. Does your gunnera plants produce seeds? Maybe we could exchange some seeds?<BR/><BR/>Ilene, I haven't tried with Rhododendron flowers, but I suspect they give yellow, like many plants. Reds or pinks from flowers are not very fast colors, even if you manage to get them.. but of course I don't know really, so go ahead and try, so then we'll know:)Leenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14266878515009058403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-16147930742809192012009-03-04T17:39:00.000+02:002009-03-04T17:39:00.000+02:00My rhododendron has many dark pink flowers on it r...My rhododendron has many dark pink flowers on it right now. Have you ever dyed wool from the flowers?Ilenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18248874493106315033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-41708477315947649832009-03-03T00:04:00.000+02:002009-03-03T00:04:00.000+02:00Hi! Your yarns turned out beautifully. Thanks for ...Hi! Your yarns turned out beautifully. Thanks for providing the English translation. I'm glad to meet another natural dyer. I look forward to reading more about your experiences.Christine Vivianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06485237721904978775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-7325847243797503502009-02-28T01:08:00.000+02:002009-02-28T01:08:00.000+02:00Leena, I tried to grow Ledum palustre from seeds a...Leena, I tried to grow Ledum palustre from seeds a while ago - but nothing happened. lateron I read that they don't grow all that easily from seeds - and anyway, they supposedly need more acid soils than I can provide. we do have a few very small rhododendrons in the garden - but again the soil should really be more acidic. they do grow into massive walls of green (with lovely light purple flowers!) further to the west though... if your soil is acidic enough for rhododendrons etc. - why don't you try to grow some gunnera tinctoria too? though I didn't try out which part of the plant dyes yet....Woolly Bitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11961632742998726155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-34057882443378546592009-02-23T21:57:00.000+02:002009-02-23T21:57:00.000+02:00Hi, I love the shades of orange/yellow that you go...Hi, I love the shades of orange/yellow that you got from those leaves! Do you know the genus/species that you were using?Nomadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09216624530474384061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-71865943329255131932009-02-22T10:11:00.000+02:002009-02-22T10:11:00.000+02:00Thank you Helen and Ladka:)I'll be careful with rh...Thank you Helen and Ladka:)<BR/>I'll be careful with rhodo leaves. ere the deer have eaten some leaves from my small plants (and moles can climb and eat the flower buds, so I,m told), so maybe there are differences in different species. Marsh tea has been used for medicinal purposes, but it is not recommended any more, because it can be toxic! I doubt though that it can kill so easily as it has been used as a tea.<BR/><BR/>We have a lot of tree leaves to use also, but I have gotten only pale to golden yellows from them, not the strong brownish yellow.. so more experimenting to do there, I think:) Thanks for the tip. Tree leaves are so easy to get!<BR/>Walnut trees (Juglans) are very rare here, so I have tried only once with bought walnut hulls, dark brown would be a very nice color:)Leenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14266878515009058403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-84265808512774144372009-02-21T23:14:00.000+02:002009-02-21T23:14:00.000+02:00Hi Leena, I like the yellow colours you got with r...Hi Leena, I like the yellow colours you got with rhodo leaves. It is interesting that I got almost the same colour - the strong brownish yellow with alder tree leaves, and the lighter yellow on the very right with willow tree leaves. They are both easy to get by the riversides in Slovenia, but I don't know how easy they are to get for you ?<BR/>As regards the two greys you got on wool using iron afterbath: I got a strong grey on cotton with green wallnuts. It is a MYSTERY to me where it came from since it gave deep dark brown on wool. But then, the afterbaths also gave yellowish colours, so in my eyes green wallnuts are a treasure of dyes - even approaching St. John's Wort which is absolutely the queen - in my experience so far.Ladkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804899281049209727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129357734481422196.post-58147424144277814182009-02-21T20:49:00.000+02:002009-02-21T20:49:00.000+02:00Hi Leena nice colours and I really liked the grey!...Hi Leena nice colours and I really liked the grey! A long time ago we kept goats and one of our goats got out and nibbled one corner of rhododendron leaf and nearly died. I was told that if you put cut rhododendrons in a a glass, rinse the glass out , and then use to drink from you can die. So I am a bit concerned about using it.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05597640040480685246noreply@blogger.com