The Maiwa Natural Dye Garden

The Maiwa Natural Dye Garden is a self-paced online course from the Maiwa School of Textiles, led by Nicola Hodges, Maiwa's resident dye-gardener, with the Maiwa dye garden research team. It shows how to grow, harvest, dry and dye with six plants: weld, coreopsis, marigold, murasaki, madder and Japanese indigo. Everything was filmed over five years at a research dye garden on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. It costs $85 USD with full access on registration and three years to watch. The course is currently full; registration reopens on 11 January 2027.

Many natural dye classes start with dried dyestuffs bought from a supplier. This course starts a step earlier, in the soil. Because it was filmed across five growing years, it can show the whole cycle, from germination tests in spring to seed saving at the end of the season, as well as how the garden adapted to heat and drought. It pairs naturally with Maiwa's longer Natural Dye Workshop, which concentrates on mordants and dye baths rather than growing.

What You Will Learn

The course follows the dye garden through the year and into the dye pot. According to the official page, topics include:

• Meeting the dye plants: weld, coreopsis, marigold, murasaki, madder and Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria)
• Spring tasks: germination tests, starting seeds, thinning and transplanting
• Harvesting colour, then drying and storing dye plants
• Dye garden recipes using both fresh and dried plant material
• Aqueous extraction of Japanese indigo
• Salt rub and leaf pounding techniques
• Soil, mulch and cover cropping
• Water use and adapting the garden to heat and drought, plus seed saving

Who Is the Maiwa Natural Dye Garden Course For?

The short answer: gardeners who want to dye, and dyers who want to grow. It suits textile makers with a plot, an allotment or even a few large containers who would like to produce some of their own colour, and gardeners curious about what their plants can do beyond the border.

It is less suited to someone with no growing space at all, since much of the course is about cultivation. The research garden is on the coast of British Columbia, so growers in very different climates will need to adapt timings. The official page does not state a skill level; check it if you are unsure whether the course suits you.

Course Structure

The course is organised by theme, following the order of a growing season:

• Meet the dye plants: the six species covered
• Spring in the garden: germination tests, seed starting, thinning, transplanting
• Harvesting colour: harvesting, drying and storing
• Dye garden recipes: fresh and dried material
• Japanese indigo: aqueous extraction, salt rub and leaf pounding
• Soil and mulch: including cover cropping
• Water and adaptations: coping with heat and drought
• Seed saving: keeping seed for the following year

All content is available as soon as you register, so you can jump to the section that matches your own season. The official page does not list video counts or running times.

Price and Access

The Maiwa Natural Dye Garden costs $85 USD. You get full access to the course on registration, and the content remains available for three years, which covers several growing seasons. Maiwa's online workshops can also be given as gifts.

The course is full at the moment. Maiwa states that the next registration opens on 11 January 2027, which leaves time to plan seed orders before spring in the northern hemisphere.

About the Instructors

Nicola Hodges is Maiwa's resident dye-gardener and leads the course with the Maiwa dye garden research team. Maiwa School of Textiles is based on Granville Island in Vancouver and is linked to Maiwa Handprints Ltd. and the Maiwa Foundation, which also runs a textile archive and research library.

Things to Consider

• Registration: currently full; the next registration opens 11 January 2027.
• Space: you need somewhere to grow, even if only a few large pots for one or two plants.
• Seasons: results come over months, not days; the three-year access helps you follow more than one season.
• Climate: the garden is on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, so adjust sowing dates to your region.
• Dye basics: if you are new to mordants, consider pairing this with Maiwa's Natural Dye Workshop.
• Seeds: check seed availability for murasaki and Japanese indigo in your country early.

How to Get the Most From It

Choose two or three plants for your first year rather than all six. Keep a garden diary alongside a dye notebook, recording sowing dates, harvest weights and the colours you get. The Maiwa Natural Dye Garden is designed to be revisited, so rewatch the spring sections each year as you expand the plot.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with Maiwa School of Textiles?

Start The Maiwa Natural Dye Garden

For the full syllabus and pricing, visit the official Maiwa School of Textiles website.

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Last verified: November 12, 2026