Painting with plants
Dig It!
Wednesday, 8 October 2025 - 28 minutes
This month, Katt Cullen speaks to Hester Macdonald about “Painting with Plants,” exploring both fabric dyes and garden colour. Discover how to dye fabrics using onion skins, walnut hulls, saffron, madder, or woad.
In the garden, Hester highlights new dogwoods like Cornus Miracle and Nightfall, long-flowering Naturosa roses, and autumn favourites such as Callicarpa Purple Profusion and toad lilies, all bringing colour well into winter.
Listener questions include child-safe, mordant-free dyes and caring for stressed corn plants.
Upcoming events: Chestnut Festival in Fully (11–12 Oct) and the Apple Market at Hallwyl Castle (18–19 Oct). Courses at the Swiss Gardening School in Nyon round out the month.
