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The store is an absolute inspiration to all things blue and white, preloved and new. My love of indigo deepened whilst living in Japan, particularly upon discovering the “Blue and White” shop in Tokyo, owned by author, Amy Sylvester Katoh. The same patterns can be found in a book on ‘Ravelry’ today. Jane, a knitwear designer, revived British fishing village knitting patterns with an indigo-dyed cotton knitwear collection under the label “Geo Trowark”. My relationship with indigo began in the ‘90s when working in London for Jane and Patrick Gottelier – founders of the brand “Artwork”. How did you first become interested in indigo and natural dyes in general? It is huge, grown outdoors, and loves being drenched by heavy dews every morning, and basks under nets in high sun during the day. Woad, as a first timer, looks as though maturity has been reached in just 6 weeks. Weld is finicky, at best, I’ve discovered. The latter is not looking good outdoors or inside. I’m pushing for greater volume of sulphur cosmos and weld. Somehow I get whipped up in the excitement of colour, so with a deep breath I admit to the following inclusions to 2022 growing arena: woad, indigoferra, early sunrise coreopsis and hollyhocks. Hats, SPF and hydration are required and it is best to avoid working during the most intense hours of heat.Īre you growing any new dye plants this year?Įvery year I promise myself that I’ll maintain the current balance of indigo to other dye plants and blooms. If you grow under cover, you need to consider that it’s harder work in some respects due to the heat. Leaves have microscopic “mouths” called stomata which absorb carbon and moisture, and this is why folia feeding is important for just about all plants. Growing under cover therefore controls this element by holding humidity in. Persicaria tinctoria is a lover of water and is known to grow on river banks in the humidity of Asian summers. Tended in the right way, a healthier plant will give greater output in the case of indigo this means more foliage. While indigo grows adequately outdoors in the UK, like most plants, warmer surroundings encourage faster growth. With our climate in the UK, would you recommend growing “under cover” if we have the possibility for this? Does it encourage better growth? Variegated indigo plants: white and green and still baring pigment.Īlso, being adopted by the most vocal and demanding siamese cat.Ībove: varigated indigo – the white leaves still produce blue pigment! Have you had any surprises along the way? To anyone considering upscaling, make sure you have the space organised and the equipment necessary for soaking and aerating etc.

Three foot bushes became a thing of the past as I had five foot bushes of indigo instead – all way out of proportion, and I wasn’t prepared to process the large volume of plants. I made great efforts to amend the soil and it almost worked too well. What I didn’t consider was the environment had therefore changed. Tending soil needs, raising seedlings and planting indigo was the easy part – and propelled with excitement. Many natural dyers grow indigo on a small scale, but what’s it been like to scale up?

Madder, marigold, dyer’s chamomile, coreopsis, scabiosa, sulphur cosmos and Hopi sunflowers are also part of the Bailiwick Blue growing arena. Indigo grows in half of the working footprint. The dye plant varieties have increased over the years. In 2019, Gélé Vinery became home to Bailiwick Blue and many Persicaria Tinctoria (Japanese Indigo) plants. It was originally a small project just to grow, make and dye with indigo for personal use, sharing the space with other creatives. The term “vinery” is a colloquialism stemming from the commercial Guernsey grape and tomato growing industry.īailiwick Blue has been in residence since 2017. Can you begin by telling us a bit about your incredible indigo farm in Guernsey?īailiwick Blue farm, is located in Gélé Vinery, on the west coast of Guernsey, within an old Guernsey Frampton commercial greenhouse, built in the 1960s. George produces indigo pigment to sell, dye seeds supplied within the UK, and grows a selection of other dye plantsand sells these in their dried state ready for dyeing.

Join me for a chat with George Fukuda who runs Bailiwick Blue, an indigo farm on the Isle of Guernsey, in the UK.