A List of Plants to Print with:
Choose one or more from your garden or local plant nursery. You can create beautiful designs with just one type of plant!
Plants containing dyes or tannins that can be steam-set:
Coreopsis petals
Marigold petals
Scabiosa black knight blossoms
Persicaria tictoria leaves
Ornamental plum leaves
Verbena, purple blossoms
Plants that stain:
Salvia blossoms on the stem, red, blue, purple
Snapdragon blossoms on the stem, oranges and reds
Sorrel Red Vein leaves
Basil leaves, purple
Cosmos
Carrot tops
Geranium petals, deep reds
Crape Myrtle petals, deep pinks
Hypoestes Leaves, the mottled green-and-red variety is my favorite
Barberry, maroon leaves, removed from stem
Flat Leaf Parsley
Coleus
Test for dye plants vs. stain plants by making a test print and steaming it. If the print fades, it is likely a stain, if the color is still strong, it is likely a dye. Let the print 24 hours, then rinse it. If the color stays true, it is a dye.
A purple basil print looking great all on it’s own!