Pride in Bloom: Flowers and Plants with LGBTQIA+ Significance
Across centuries and cultures, flowers and foliage have carried meaning – from love and mourning to luck, resistance and identity. Often, they’ve said things people couldn’t.
It feels especially fitting during Pride Month, to share just some of the plants and flowers that hold a special place in LGBTQIA+ history and culture. From coded messages in Victorian buttonholes to vibrant floral symbols of resistance and joy, plants have long helped members the community express identity, offer quiet solidarity, and celebrate love in all its wild, natural forms.
Lavender
Lavender has long been linked with gender nonconformity and queer identity. In the 1950s, the term “lavender scare” was used in the U.S. to describe the unjust targeting of LGBTQIA+ people in government. Over time, the colour, and the flower was reclaimed as a soft but strong emblem of queer pride.
Violets
Violets have been associated with lesbian love since ancient times, notably through the poetry of Sappho, who famously celebrated female desire. Centuries later, in the early 20th century, gifting violets quietly became a discreet yet powerful symbol of love and solidarity between women in a society where open expression was often forbidden.
Green Carnations
In late 19th-century London the green carnation became a subtle badge of identity among gay men. Oscar Wilde famously instructed his friends to wear them to the opening night of one of his plays, and the flower’s association with queer visibility, and rebellion has bloomed ever since.
Roses
Roses have long been linked with love, blooming in myths, poems, and of course Valentine’s Day.
But roses also carry meaning beyond romance. For many in the transgender community, the rose has become a powerful symbol of both remembrance and visibility, especially on Trans Day of Remembrance. On this day, the phrase “Give us our roses while we’re still here” is often shared – a clear call to honour and celebrate trans lives now.
Sunflowers
Not strictly queer-coded, but widely embraced by Pride celebrations, sunflowers symbolise happiness, vitality, and unapologetic brightness, qualities deeply tied to queer joy. Their sunny nature and habit of turning towards the light have made them a favourite in LGBTQIA+ marches and floral tributes.
The Rainbow in Your Garden
Beyond individual plants, creating a Pride-inspired planting scheme can be as simple as celebrating colour. Think: fiery reds of salvia, orange calendula, golden rudbeckia, green hostas, blue delphiniums, and deep purple verbena. A living rainbow, rooted in love.
Whether you’re LGBTQIA+ yourself or an ally, filling your home or garden with these meaningful plants is a beautiful, blooming way to honour Pride – and to keep celebrating it long after June.
Discover our ‘Born to Bloom‘ bouquet celebrating Pride month. £3 from the sale of each bouquet will be donated to The Outside Project.
