‘A secret garden’: National Theatre turns roof into riot of colour with dye plants

The theatre is planning to use natural dyes from the garden in every production at the South Bank going forwards. Photograph: Dan Neidle/Rory Murphy

Squint at the roof of the grey, brutalist National Theatre on London’s South Bank and you might be able to spy a riot of colour spilling from the concrete.

This is the theatre’s new natural dye garden, from which flowers are being picked to create the colours for the costumes worn in the theatre’s plays.