Plant List for 'In the Knitted Garden

Information is given below about the plants included in the knitted garden. They are all linked to fibre, and cotton production.

In the Knitted Garden – Plant list

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 Lavatera × clementii 'Silver Barnsley'  Gossypium hirsutum (seedlings of hirsutum, Kundan, Red Beauty, Black Beauty)  Cyperus diffusus  Cyperus esculentus  Cyperus alternifolius  Phyllostachys aurea  Phyllostachys aureosulcata aureocaulis

 Urtica dioica  Lamium maculatum  Libertia peregrinans 'Taupo Sunset'  Carex elata  Uncinia rubra  Linum grandiflorum var rubra  Linum grandiflorum 'Bright Eyes'  Linum usitatissimum  Dipsacus fullonum

Bamboo

Phyllostachys ssp are amazing plants that can be used in many ways: Leaves and stems can be woven, or fibres can be extracted and spun into fine yarns. A type of Viscose can be manufactured from bamboo. A quick growing, prolific plant, it holds promise for being a very sustainable fibre crop.



Flax
 Scotland used to be famous for its textile industries, especially for Linum ssp. The industry was stimulated by an act of Parliament of 1686 stipulating that everyone had to be "buried in linen winding sheets made from materials which had been grown, spun and woven in Scotland"!



Nettles
 Before Flax production Urtica dioica, or 'Stinging nettle' was used to to produce the finest yarn. It was known as "Scotch Cloth".

Whilst Urtica dioica is great for biodiversity (being a food plant for many insects and birds), due to its stings it's not so nice as a garden plant! Therefore it has been confined to a pot and we have used a garden-worthy substitute - the 'Dead nettle' (no stings) otherwise known as Lamium maculatum. It is a useful ground cover plant available in several leaf varieties & flower colours.

Urtica dioica can also be drunk as a tea or used in soup!



Grasses
 Grasses and sedges have been used for basket weaving, rope making and fibres since at least 3000BC (Ötzi, the mummified man found in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, wore a cloak woven from grasses.)
 We have included several garden-worthy varieties, chosen for their foliage colour. These include: Carex elata; Uncinia rubra; Libertia peregrinans.



Papyrus
 Cyperus, perhaps better known as a House plant or a plant of the Egyptian Nile, has also long been used for its fibres, producing both textiles and for making paper. It is a great plant for an ornamental pond, though not always hardy in Scotland.



Cotton
 Probably the most well-known fiber plant, Gossypium ssp are the world’s biggest non-food crop. Cotton can be grown in Britain as a bedding plant, though light levels and rainfall in Scotland hamper its growth. We have chosen Lavatera ‘Silver Barnsley’, also a member of the Malvaceae family, to represent Cotton. A beautiful garden plant, it closely resembles the leave shape and flower of Gossypium.

We also have a pot of Gossypium seedlings and a vase of dried ‘cotton bolls’ on display.



Teasel
 Dipsacus fullonum are still used today in the textile industry for preparation of various fibres into yarn. An interesting garden plant that is native to the British Isles. It is appreciated by wildlife for its seeds and pollen. In the Knitted Garden it is used for its architectural, fresh green foliage.