A Dash of Lavender: Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month with Queer Botany

1 February – 28 February 2023 11am - 4pm (except Saturdays).

Book now

For LGBTQ+ History Month, Chelsea Physic Garden is collaborating with Queer Botany to look at plants, fungi and lichen through a queer lens.

Queer Botany studies connections between queerness and plants through events, storytelling, and design. Since the 1400s and the expansion of western colonial powers, nature and plants have been examined through a predominantly heteronormative, European, and male point of view. Queer Botany aims to share marginalised perspectives and support more diverse representations in the environment and outdoors.

Historically, the LGBTQ+ community has often been referred to as ‘unnatural’, however, the ‘natural’ world has many characteristics that can be seen as queer. One example is the variety of plants and their sexual diversity. There is also a cultural link between queerness and the symbolism of flowering plants, which can be found in terms like ‘pansy’, or ‘a streak’ or ‘dash’ of lavender.

As a part of A Dash of Lavender: Celebrating LGBTQ+ history month with Queer Botany, there will be a trail around the Garden, with installations and outdoor exhibitions, On Wednesdays and Sundays at 11:30pm and 2:00pm our friendly and experienced guides will be delivering Dash of Lavender tours.

As our tours are delivered by our Volunteer team, we cannot guarantee they will be running on the day, and we recommend that you check with our Visitor Experience team on the day of our visit.  The cost for the tours is included with your admission to the Garden.

We also will be hosting events including drawing workshops, a poetry evening and a panel discussion. Scroll to bottom of this page for a full list.

Download A Dash of Lavender Trail

View the A Dash of Lavender trail before you visit.

A Dash of Lavender

Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month with Queer Botany. 1 February – 28 February 2023 11am - 4pm (except Saturdays).

Book now

View the A Dash of Lavender trail before you visit.

Download A Dash of Lavender Trail

For LGBTQ+ History Month, Chelsea Physic Garden is collaborating with Queer Botany to look at plants, fungi and lichen through a queer lens.

Queer Botany studies connections between queerness and plants through events, storytelling, and design. Since the 1400s and the expansion of western colonial powers, nature and plants have been examined through a predominantly heteronormative, European, and male point of view. Queer Botany aims to share marginalised perspectives and support more diverse representations in the environment and outdoors.

Historically, the LGBTQ+ community has often been referred to as ‘unnatural’, however, the ‘natural’ world has many characteristics that can be seen as queer. One example is the variety of plants and their sexual diversity. There is also a cultural link between queerness and the symbolism of flowering plants, which can be found in terms like ‘pansy’, or ‘a streak’ or ‘dash’ of lavender.

As a part of A Dash of Lavender: Celebrating LGBTQ+ history month with Queer Botany, there will be a trail around the Garden, with installations and outdoor exhibitions, On Wednesdays and Sundays at 11:30pm and 2:00pm our friendly and experienced guides will be delivering Dash of Lavender tours.

As our tours are delivered by our Volunteer team, we cannot guarantee they will be running on the day, and we recommend that you check with our Visitor Experience team on the day of our visit.  The cost for the tours is included with your admission to the Garden.

We also will be hosting events including drawing workshops, a poetry evening and a panel discussion. Scroll to bottom of this page for a full list.

A Dash of Lavender events

For LGBTQ+ History Month Chelsea Physic Garden is collaborating with Queer Botany to bring you events that look at plants and the Garden through a queer botanical lens.

A Dash of Lavender Events