The Weaver’s Shop Dye Garden
Dyes derived from plants such as those growing in this display garden were used to create the warm and bright colours in woollen materials. Natural dyes from wild and cultivated plants provided a rich palette of earthy tones that were incorporated into blankets, socks, and even woollen undergarments that protected the wearer against the harsh Canadian winter.
In early Ontario, sheep were among the most important animals raised by the pioneers, as they provided not only food but also wool for making clothing and household items. Here are some dye plants and the colours that the plant material would yield in the dyeing process.
- SunflowerHelianthus annus - Yellow
- CalendulaCalendula officinalis - Yellow to Orange
- St. John’s WortHypericum perforatum - Yellow
- MadderRubia tinctorium - Red
- BedstrawGalium verum - Red, Yellow and even Brown tones
- TansyTanacetum vulgare - Green-Grey
- WoadIsatis tinctoria - Blue
- SorrelRumex acetosa - Green-Yellow
- GoldenrodSolidago spp - Yellow, Brown
Topics:
Spring Blues
Green - verdant, lush, and full of life - is of course the colour of spring. But there is another colour of spring which runs a close second - blue.
Look around the early spring garden or woods and blue can be found everywhere. No other colour is as abundant among spring’s herbaceous plants (except the acknowledged spring winner: green!).
Many of the plants growing at the Village could be considered herbs because whether wild plants or garden flowers, they were useful in a variety of ways in the daily lives of pioneers. Every plant that could provide a use was valued - whether it supplied a moth repelling scent or provided healing qualities to a lard salve or yielded a vivid dye. Pioneer theme gardens can preserve this knowledge of heritage plants to be shared with school children, Sunday School classes or even the local boy scout troop.
Creating beautiful herb gardens with a few tricks of the trade!
Herb gardening is all about the gardener's own personality and taste. Herb gardens can be as wild as the deepest jungles of Africa to the most formal designs of precision and form. Herbs lend themselves to many garden designs and no two herb gardens are alike. Just as the stately wild mullein is at home in a naturalized garden, so too is the garden variety found strategically placed, dominating the English castle wall.
Many of the trees and plants in the garden, surrounding the restored Doctor’s home, served as a "natural pharmacy" from which the nineteenth century doctor could prepare remedies and cures for the villagers. This authentic garden was developed and maintained by the Southern Ontario Unit of the Herb Society of America. The following perennial herbs are typical of those commonly used to stock a storehouse of remedies.
Comfrey
Symphytum officinale
Old time remedy herb used for compresses applied to injuries.
Elecampane
In mid-nineteenth century Ontario, the household garden played a major role in the daily life of the pioneer. The plants found growing in the gardens, orchards, and fields of Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto, Ontario, are representative of those grown by the early settlers for food, medicine, and other domestic uses.
The garden is a place for all the family to enjoy, but it can also be a place where accidents happen. Even everyday activities like running and playing can expose children to the risk of injury. Every year, more than 125,000 kids need hospital treatment for garden injuries - and, in most cases, those injuries could easily have been avoided. Here are some tips on making your garden a safer place.
Tools - Never leave sharp tools lying around. Keep them safely locked away and out of reach.
To enjoy fresh herbs throughout the coming season, you may want to consider growing herbs such as basil, parsley and cilantro, much the way you would lettuce in the garden. Sow a new row every two weeks and remember to pinch back for optimum fullness. You can continue to start seeds right into the first of July and any remaining plants can always be lifted and brought indoors at the end of the season. You will be amazed at the speed in which your herbs will grow once the soil is heated up and the days are at their longest.
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