Verfwede
Isatis tinctoria
Isatis tinctoria , the 'dye woad' is a very old cultivated plant, growing up to 1m 50 high, and flowering in early summer with sunflower yellow flowers, after which the plants are adorned with bunches of hanging black seeds, which are very decorative in bouquets - the cultivation of woad, for dyeing yarns and wool in a beautiful shade of blue, was known in our regions during the Renaissance, until the import of cheaper indigo, among other things, caused this flourishing trade to collapse - not far from the Pays de Cocagne (cocagne is a ball of compressed, dried and fermented pulp of the Isatis plant), in the town of Lectoure, this artisanal dyeing method was revived by a Belgian couple; the workshop can be visited: worth a detour!
Sow directly in open ground from March to May or in September.
Flowers from May to July in the second year. This plant is native to the Mediterranean and Western Asia and grows well in sunny dry poor soil.