Rhododendron - Dye Plants     Related Resources • Natural Dyeing Information • Natural Dye Plants • References • Bookstore Rhododendron leaves produce various shades of yellow, gold, rust and green when used with different mordants. I picked about 4 oz. of Rhododendron leaves and cut them into small pieces. I let them soak overnight in some water. The following day, I heated up a dyepot filled with water and added the Rhododendron leaf mixture and let it simmer for a few hours. Then I added some clean Romney wool, premordanted in an Alum bath to the dyepot. I simmered the dyepot on low heat for about 2 hours. The wool turned a lovely shade of gold. I removed the dyepot from the heat and let it cool. I left the dyepot covered overnight. The next day, I removed the wool from the dyepot and rinsed it out. Then I spread it out on a table to dry. Rhododendron Project Here are some photos of my dye project, using the Rhododendron leaves. Mordant Colour Alum yellow Tin orange Iron khaki, olive green Blue Vitriol gold Vinegar beige How to Dye with Rhododendron A natural dye recipe using Rhododendron leaves. Coloring Book The Rhododendron is Washington's State Flower. While you are creating your own colours with Rhododendrons, you can print out this page for your kids to colour. Rhododendron Clip Art This site has some lovely clipart of State Flowers, including the Rhododendron. Sources & Reference Materials