Solidago
Goldenrod – from the family Asteraceae.
A woody-based perennial with erect stems bearing narrow leaves and terminal panicles of small yellow flowers in summer and autumn.
For many years goldenrod was blamed as the cause for hayfever. However studies have shown that the large pollen grains in goldenrod do not become airborne, The culprit is more likely to be ragwort which flower at the same time as ragwort but seem to attract less attention – consequently people wrongly assume it is the goldenrod flowers to be the cause of their hayfever.
To dye with goldenrod:-
For clear bright yellows collect the young flower heads as they are about to open.
Use 100g of fresh flowers or 200g of dried flowers for each 100g of mordanted fibre.
Gently raise the temperature to just under simmering point and hold there for an hour.
Turn off the heat and leave to soak overnight.
Strain through cheesecloth.
Add the liquid to a fresh dye bucket (dye bath).
Add the pre-wetted mordanted fibre to the dye bath and slowly raise the temperature to just below simmering point stirring gently from time to time to ensure equal absorbtion.
Hold temperature for about 45 minutes or until the desired colour is achieved. Prolonged simmering will produce darker shades but will reduce the colour brilliance.
You could add a small amount of disolved tumeric to the dye bath for a more vibrant shade.
Rinse. Wash. Rinse.
Dry out of direct sunlight.
Post-mordanting with iron changes the colour from gold to deep olive green.
Goldenrod takes well on protein fibres but is not as successful on cellulose fibres.
