Cottonwood Dye Results

The cottonwood dyebath is from our own baby trees. When we moved in four years ago there was nothing here but sagebrush. The Nevada State Nursery in Washoe Valley sells starter plants to residents who have one or more acre, but the catch is that they sell in lots of five plants. I decided that to make the drive worth it, I had better buy several lots and came home with 30 plants: Fremont-cottonless cottonwood, both black and honey locust trees, lilac, Nanking cherry and wild rose. I decided against the rose and black locust after I got home but still had 15 holes to dig pronto. The Nanking cherries have red berries that the birds love, but the information says that you can also make preserves from the berries. Good luck beating the birds.

The cottonwood trees were the largest of the plants, each was in its own quart, paper milk container and none of the stalks were more than a foot. They said they were rapid growing, but nevertheless, I am stunned at the growth. Think of it! This tree four years ago was nothing more than a one-foot twig. I had to put rabbitguard around them, to protect them from rabbits and to be able to find them. They are on drip. I am pruning them up, hoping to get a canopy and some shade. Anne Bliss said that I would get a nice yellow from cottonwood, and I would say that I did.

This morning I took the dogs and collected prickly poppy stems, seed heads and what blossoms remain. They have just about finished blooming. I had decided to call it quits for this year on natural dying, but since these guys are still blooming, decided to go for more batch. There’s a reason they’re called prickly. Even with my leather gloves, I got stuck and was very careful thereafter. I simmered my plant pieces this morning and it’s a good thing, as the infamous Washoe Zephyr is howling through here this afternoon. I’ll let the dyebath sit in the garage until next weekend and then do my last batch for this season. I’m optimistic that it is going to be a shade of green.