Black Hollyhock - Natural Dyeing

Black Hollyhocks are a uniquely colored variety that has been a favorite of gardeners and botanists for nearly four hundred years. When used as a natural dye, this gothic flower creates dramatic purples, teals, periwinkle blue, and slate greys depending on pH and choice of mordant. All you need is a couple of handfuls of fresh or dried blooms. 

Folklore + Magick: Hollyhocks often symbolize protection, fertility, and the cycle of life, and are said to attract the fey. Historically, they were planted near homes to ward off evil spirits and were incorporated into rituals and folk remedies for healing and supporting fertility. The tall stalks can represent strength.

Growing Habitat: Hollyhocks prefer a sunny garden bed with full sun although they’ll grow in partial shade. They need at least 6 hours of sun to really bloom. The more sunlight, the more flowers! They flower in the second year of their growth cycle.

Harvest Time: Hollyhocks bloom from early summer through fall, with their primary bloom time being June through August or September, depending on the variety and climate.

DyeStuff: Flowers

Fabric Samples are a mix of white and mixed linen, cotton, wool, and silk

Dyeing Instructions can be found in my book ‘The Natural Dye Handbook’. This is an affiliate link for bookshop.org. This means that if you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

More information is available to paid members on my Patreon. If you're interested in subscribing to my Patreon and supporting my exploration of natural dyes. My Patreon is mainly focused on slow stitching, but I’ve begun posting about four natural dye plants each month.

I buy my dried Black Hollyhock flowers from Bloom & Dye. This is not affiliate links, just a lovely person that grow exception flowers. I’ve also bought dried dyer’s chamomile, cosmos, and coreopsis flowers. I used these to dye the samples in my book.