Tell us about your relationship with plants and the Earth? My relationship with nature has really developed over the last 8-9 years since I started dyeing with plants. Before that point I can honestly say that I didn't pay a huge amount of attention to the plants growing around me. I just saw trees as general ‘greenery’ and didn't look at details in the way I do now. The last few years have been a gradual love affair with nature. I live in a busy town (for now, anyway) and searching for new plants to try in my dye pot has been a wonderful way to explore new places, and get to know the plants that were right on my doorstep all along. Within a two minute walk of my home I have alder trees (the cones make a rich golden caramel coloured dye), stinging nettles (they make a range of grey/green/tan shades depending on the time of year), a sequoia tree with cones that make a peachy tan colour, and countless other trees, herbs and flowers that can give us beautiful colours. I really enjoy trying to identify plants that are new to me, then learning about them and testing them in my dye pot. Once I’ve learnt about a new plant, it seems to follow me around and I spot it everywhere. It’s amazing how many wonderful plants there are right under our feet, but until we really look, we don’t notice them! This is what I explore in my natural dye book Botanical Colour at your Fingertips. I love encouraging other people to experiment with their local plants too. There is colour everywhere, just waiting to be discovered. I like looking at the in-between places that are often forgotten, such as collecting fallen camellia flowers in an alleyway and using them for bundle dyeing, plucking gorse flowers from the prickly bushes alongside the road, and the incredible array of