Chelsea Physic Garden
Graphic design, Illustration, Exhibition graphics
2024
Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride Flag collage, 2024
For LGBTQ+ History Month, Chelsea Physic Garden is celebrating diversity in people and plants. Historically, the LGBTQ+ community has been referred to as ‘unnatural’, however, the ‘natural’ world has many characteristics that do not fit societal norms and binaries. For example, trees are known to change sex throughout their lives, and non-human animals have been recorded partnering up into same-sex couples. There are also cultural links between the LGBTQ+ community and the symbolism of flowering plants, which can be found in slurs like ‘pansy’, or ‘a dash of lavender’. As you explore this trail and learn about the fascinating plants and animals in the Garden, challenge yourself to think about what you consider to be unnatural. We are all part of nature, and so nature is invariably Queer.
A Dash of Lavender Map, 2024
Pelargonium display, 2024
This pride flag is based on the Intersex-inclusive Progressive Pride Flag, which combines the traditional rainbow flag with additional colours and symbols to highlight underrepresented groups in the LGBTQ+ community. The flag has been combined with artwork of the Garden's plants that have connections to the LGBTQ+ community. These plants have been painted by Chelsea Physic Garden's Florilegium Society.
Intersex-inclusive Progressive Pride Flag collage, Photo by Connor Butler, 2024
Plants included in the flag collage:
Yellow: Iris pseudacorus
White: Nymphaea alba
Pink: Rosa canina
Light blue: Linum narbonnense
Brown: Eriolobus trilobata
Black: Rubus fruticosus
Red: Taxus baccata
Orange: Crocus flavus
Yellow: Narcissus pseudonarcissus
Green: Ginkgo biloba
Blue: Muscari botryoides
Violet: Lavandula dentata
Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride Flag collage, Detail, 2024
Chelsea Physic Garden Head of Education: Connor Butler
