We’ve had Eurovision, the weather’s been decent and there’s been more bank holidays than usual recently, which can only mean one thing… Pride month is just around the corner!
I’m not saying everything is sunshine and rainbows for Pride this year, but I have been enjoying finding rainbows wherever I can - including here at Sprouts, amongst a colourful array of houseplants.
Now, I’m not gonna say the straights can’t have plants, but there is definitely a level of relatability with houseplants and queerness. There’s so much variety for a start, even amongst the plants that like growing in our homes. And on top of that, so many plants don’t conform to our norms - as in so many parts of nature, they grow, change and reproduce in many, many different ways. As this article from the American Society of Plant Biologists succinctly puts it, plants “are bisexual, they are trans, asexual, polyamorous, hermaphrodite and gender fluid. They are other; they are in between, alive like animals but seemingly still as minerals.”
As I definitely can’t word the science any better than that article, I’m going to look at the other fun and relatable element of plants, and especially houseplants: their aesthetics. They are often flashy as hell, and they don’t feel any need to blend in. Inspired by the bright colours of some of my favourite houseplants, here is my pride flag of houseplants for this Pride Month…
Rainbow Pride Flag of Houseplants
RED - Flamingo Flower (Anthurium andraeanum)
Bold, flashy, and flowers profusely. The perfect plant to kick off the houseplant pride flag, the red flamingo flower is the most striking colour you’ll find these Anthuriums in. And if a group of flamingos is a flamboyance, why not a flamboyance of flamingo flowers? This plant looks extra but is actually chill to look after, and it’s a shoo-in for the red stripe of the pride flag.
ORANGE - Eternal Flame Calathea (Goeppertia crocata)
With a backdrop of deep green and purple, these bright orange flowers stand out. Maybe I have been too Eurovision-obsessed lately but the flame-like eruptions of petals are giving OTT pyrotechnics. The eternal flame calathea can be fussy, and doesn’t want to be anywhere near actual flames or heat, but for the colour and the fun, it’s definitely worth the effort.
YELLOW - Yellow fusion Calathea (Goeppertia lietzei)
This is not as bold as the first two, but the beautiful, butter-yellow patterns on the yellow fusion ’s foliage are a perfect complement for the bright flowers we’ve had so far. Plus, as this colour is in the foliage, you’ll keep it year-round, without a pause for dormancy like with flowering plants. Soft, sunshiney yellow for summery Pride - keep this plant in the shade and a little damp and it will shine.
GREEN - Variegated Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii ‘Diamond’)
Okay, there is already plenty of green, but this is plants, it’s to be expected. For the green stripe, there was of course so much to choose from. This variegated peace lily is just such a vibe that I couldn’t resist - very chill, very green, and the star really is the foliage. With a hint of interesting texture, and a splash of pretty variegation, this plant is just a lil bit different - and a little bit showy, perfect for pride.
BLUE - Blue Rain Bromeliad (Aechmea ‘Blue Rain’)
So flamboyant, standout plant, everyone who sees it says ‘wow’. And often, ‘is that real?’ The Blue Rain Bromeliad is one of the most out-there houseplant aesthetics, and it puts its all into flowering. Plus, if you get too close, it’s just a bit sharp and spiky round the edges - there’s a metaphor in there somewhere…
PURPLE - Inch Plant (Tradescantia zebrina)
Honestly, this one was a no-brainer. Purple is also a reasonably common colour in houseplants, on the undersides of a lot of leaves, but the Inch Plant is my personal favourite. Choose green up top and party purple underneath, or go for a fully purple cultivar like ‘purple hill’ - either way, this trailing plant will definitely get long enough to fill out the bottom stripe of the plant pride flag. And, if I’m reaching for another metaphor: no matter how much these plants are cut back, they can be replanted and just keep growing.
BONUS!
So I haven’t gone for the full progress flag, for simplicity’s sake and also because I was looking at what was available in the shop buttt I also have IDEAS for making the full progress flag.
BLUE, PINK & WHITE - Forget-Me-Nots (Myosotis sylvatica)
They may not be in season for June, but the three colours of forget-me-nots we stocked earlier in spring were really giving the trans flag. Baby pink and blue and white, toning in perfectly, and fun to arrange into stripes when we got whole trays delivered. This is my top tip for planting your own trans flag in a shady garden - though I can’t promise they’ll stay in neat rows once planted!
YELLOW & PURPLE - Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis)
I bet you thought the intersex flag would be difficult to match to a plant. Well, it might be a niche one, but there is a cultivar of moth orchid that’s yellow with purple dots - which I think is pretty close to perfect! Plus it’s an easygoing Orchid to grow, and always seems to love growing right in our sunny window.
BLACK & BROWN - Raven ZZ & Earth Star (Zamioculcas zamiifolia, Cryptanthus zonatus)
For the final stripes on the progress pride flag, I’ve been thinking slightly outside the box. There aren’t many plants in these colours, but my personal favourites are the ‘Raven’ cultivar of ZZ plant , whose leaves mature to a deep black-green, and the striped Earth Star , Cryptanthus zonatus, whose leaves are reddish-brown striped with silver. Both plants are easygoing, especially the ZZ, which likes to be left alone to do its thing, with plenty of light to help it grow.
Goodness knows how many of each plant you’d need to build a full pride flag out of, but now if you wanted to, you have the top tips on which plants to pick! There are so many colours in nature, it’s no wonder we love our rainbows. And why not have some fun making your own rainbows or other flags out of plants for pride? Plants, especially flowering plants, grow to be visible, so let’s join them and be loud and proud this June <3
Happy Pride from Sprouts xx
Rhianna Bangham
Rhianna works in the shop and contributes to Sprouts of Bristol’s content, including plant care notes, product descriptions, and blog posts. With a degree in Classics, Rhianna’s love for languages – including Latin – is perfect for decoding plant names and adding extra detail to our plant care guides. Outside of work, she enjoys rowing, cycling, and learning the violin. Her favourite plant? The ever-popular Spider Plant, of course!
