Christopher (Plant Kween) Griffin is in full bloom. Like their abundant collection of sun-soaked greenery, Griffin is proudly rising under a spotlight all their own.
More than just a talented planter with the greenest thumb around, Griffin calls on their past experience in education to now make engaging content for everyone. Whether Griffin conducts insightful explainers on featured plants or expertly explains systemic differences in the greenery between Black, Brown and white neighborhoods, important lessons are being shared.
Griffin spoke about the Black women in his life who decided to uplift his flamboyant wings, not clip them. We also asked their opinions on the best green spaces in NYC, which plant they most identify with, and how far they’ve come from a sparkling, gay seed.
So.Gay: Happy that you’re here. How was Portland? What were you up to?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): It was lovely. I was with the Portland travel board, who flew me out to film content featuring BIPOC and queer-owned businesses. I spent two busy days documenting everything before heading straight back to New York City. Portland was a tease and a nice change of pace. I tell you, in New York, the weather has just been so sporadic and random lately.
So.Gay: How are the plants handling this weather change?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): We had a lot of early blooms this year. The cherry blossoms and magnolias both arrived much earlier than usual. Nature always finds a way to switch things up.
So.Gay: Could you talk about your connection to plant life?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): As someone who navigates anxiety, plants allow me the opportunity to sit still and experience flow. When I’m caring for my plants, tending to them and watering them, it takes me out of my head and grounds me in my body. That’s one benefit plants can provide. There have been studies showing that plants can impact our stress and anxiety levels, as well as our physical well-being. Have you ever heard of the phrase “tree bathing”?
It’s basically when you immerse yourself in nature, going among the trees and taking it all in. Unfortunately, in the digital age we live in, I think we’re so tied to our screens. So it’s always important to give ourselves the opportunity to be around nature.
If we have time, not everyone does. That’s when I think it’s important to bring nature to you. Bringing plants indoors is an easy way to gain more access to greenery. Sometimes you don’t have trees in your neighborhood because tree equity is a real issue. Black and brown neighborhoods historically have fewer trees compared to wealthier and whiter neighborhoods. Sometimes we can’t just step outside and touch grass; we may have to walk a distance or take public transportation to a park. That’s why I think it’s important to start where you are, and if houseplants can get you started, why not try?
So.Gay: Can you share some more of the health benefits, and why it’s alarming that Black and brown neighborhoods don’t have as many trees as they deserve?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): When you look at the history of this country, from redlining to the impacts of colonialism and white supremacy, there are larger systems at play. Trees clean the air, provide shade, and make neighborhoods with more trees naturally cooler due to that shade. That means less energy usage: in hotter neighborhoods, people run their air conditioners more, but with more trees, you don’t have to use your AC as much. Trees also soak up stormwater, helping with soil irrigation and reducing flooding. I think when people look at a tree, they don’t always consider all the ways it can impact humans, not just wildlife. We often don’t realize that trees provide us with real-life benefits beyond simply being something for “tree huggers” to enjoy. If I can get someone to care about the tree on their living room table, then I did my job. Get a plant. Get a plant for your living room table in your house, in your room. See what that interaction is like for you. There’s a lot of internal interactions in terms of like, what kind of care do I enjoy giving? How do I nurture something? I think that’s the question that everyone should be asking themselves. Then maybe if you care about that plant on your living room table in your house, you’ll care about that tree on your block. Then maybe you’ll care about the park in your neighborhood.
Maybe you’ll be invested in volunteering at a community garden, right? As an educator, for me, it’s always important to start where people are. Allow that to be the stepping stone that takes them to the ultimate conversation, which is how can I be better for this planet in a way that is accessible to me. I think we, depending on our walks of life and where we are socially positioned in this world, how we can contribute is different, right? I think that’s a conversation that hopefully more folks will be engaged with after looking at my content. Absolutely.
So.Gay: What are some starter plants that you recommend folks begin with so they can maybe branch out to become someone like you one day?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): Typically, there are three starter plants that always start with. I’m going to try to switch it up. I would say the first one would be the Chinese evergreen. The Chinese evergreen comes in a variety of different shapes and colors. They are typically low-light, tolerant plants, and they’re just very forgiving.
I don’t think I’ve ever killed a Chinese evergreen. And that’s a statement. I do a lot of experimentation with plants. I say, “Let me see if I can keep you alive.” But the Chinese evergreen is amazing. I would also choose the Ficus elastica. Back in the day, her sap was used to manufacture rubber elastica. That’s why it’s nicknamed “The Rubber Tree.” One of the great things about Ficus elastica is that the leaves are so dark, which means they are jam-packed with chlorophyll and are low-light tolerant. Obviously, it’s always better to have plants in brighter light than low light, but she’s a good one. And then another one. Taking a look here. I would say the money tree is probably a fun one too. The money tree is very popular. They even have a fun story behind how we got its name.
It’s supposed to bring good fortune, good vibes, and good feng shui to a space. In terms of care level, the easiest is the Chinese evergreen, next is the ficus elastica (rubber tree), and then the money tree. You typically hear about ZZ plant, the pothos or the snake plant. I’ve been trying to diversify it a little bit, and folks should experiment with different plants. It’s important.
So.Gay: You’re so confident online. Who gave you such confidence and such a great sense of self? Anyone that you could shout out?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): It’s been the Black women in my family. My grandmother, to start, was a force in her neighborhood, in her community. She took me under her wing when I was younger. I think she knew at a very early age. She was like, “I think Christopher got a little sugar in his tea.” Turns out it was a lot of sugar, baby, a lot of sugar.
My grandmother had that conversation with my mom when I was brought into the world, and they let me be me. I had some home video digitized, and I was like, “damn, I was a fairy.” I was a little fairy. It was great. It was just so amazing to witness younger me’s flamboyant flair around my family, and my family being like, “That’s Christopher.”
But at the end of the day, they said, “Let Christopher be Christopher and let them figure out how they want to show up in the world.” They gave me a lot of space to do that and provided such foundational, unconditional love. I knew I could float or fly as high as I wanted, because I could always come back down to their love. No one else really mattered because my family loved me for who I was. That gave me the confidence to show up in the way I wanted to, and I’ve been doing this since I was a kid, and my family loved me for it.
If there are folks that I meet along the way as I’m exploring myself that can’t appreciate it, then they’re not for me. It really started with my family, which is something I am deeply, profoundly grateful for because I know that, unfortunately, it’s not the case for a lot of queer, trans, and nonbinary folks. People want to show up in the world, but don’t have that safe space within their given family to do that. That’s something that I’m really grateful for because I know it’s not always the case in our community.
So.Gay: They nurtured who you were as a seed, and now you’re a very proud flower.
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): Unfortunately, we can’t always pick the family we’re given or that we’re born into. However, chosen family, right? That’s really important to me and supports me in various ways. My hope is that if folks are born into a family that loves them in the way that they need to, they create that for themselves.
So.Gay: Is there anything coming up this summer that you’re excited for?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): I am in a state of exploration right now as an educator. I’m a very curious, playful person, and I’ve always used my digital platform as a space for experimentation. I’m always trying different things and seeing how they fit and if people resonate with them. It also keeps it interesting for me. I want to keep things interesting and fun and playful and curious. It’s within the ethos of my being.
I’m sure there’ll be some surprising things. I go with the flow, and I kind of let myself be inspired by the here and now. I try not to plan too far into the future because I want to stay grounded in the present moment. As a person who has had professions rooted in being of service, I’ve always been in service of other people. I see my digital platform in that same manner. Sometimes, if you plan too far in advance, you get out of touch with what folks need.
There may be some merch coming down the line. I want to figure out who would be the right partners for that. I’m also looking forward to more interviews. I’ve just come in contact with some amazing, beautiful souls that I want to shine light on. It may be surprising to see me on their feed with someone else, but I’m just going with the energy.
So.Gay: If you were a plant, which would you be and why?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): Oh, wow, I’ve never, I’ve never had that question before. There are so many. I would go with something that’s more blossoming. I’m going to say probably an orchid, and the reason I say that is that they are often misunderstood. When folks see orchids in the supermarket, they see them as flowers, and they don’t understand that when the blooms are not there, the plant is still alive. They’re misunderstood, but they are extremely resilient. You can find orchids in almost any climate around the world. That’s why they’re one of the biggest plant families. I’m a very resilient person. Also, they’re just really beautiful. I think they have their one and off seasons.
I’m very much a person who appreciates solitude and kind of enjoys the intimacy of my solitude. There are moments when I enjoy blooming just like an orchid.
So.Gay: What are your favorite green spaces to see orchids and more in NYC?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): I have a whole list. I’m going to start close to home. I’m in Brooklyn, and I would definitely recommend the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It is such a lovely space. They have six conservatories year-round, so greenery is available whenever. They offer a lot of community programming, which is amazing. I often host a little tour during their Pride night. I’ve been working with them for like four years now, and they’re just amazing.
Second, I would recommend Prospect Park. Again, lovely. Community immersive programming. The nature itself is just so beautiful. I bike around the park. They have picnics in the park often. They’re also just doing amazing work to preserve the land. I’ve gotten to do some interviews with folks, just seeing how they tend to it and all the initiatives that they’re doing to make sure that the park is healthy. I see that the wildlife is being supported; it is just really amazing and intentional work that they’re doing. Thirdly, I would recommend Central Park. I’ve been working with them. They just renovated the Harlem Meer, and they have a lot of community programs, a swimming pool, ice skating, and more during certain times of the year. That has just been really, really lovely. I would encourage folks to check out the New York Restoration Project. They steward over 50 community gardens in New York City across the five boroughs. That’s an easy way to figure out a community garden close to you if you can’t travel to Brooklyn Botanic, Central Park, or Prospect Park. I would encourage folks to look up the New York Restoration Project or NYRP for short. These gardens need volunteers and active community members.
So.Gay: Hopefully, we’ll get some people to join these important organizations. You’re going to make New York a lot greener, which is really special.
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): When folks think of New York City, they don’t think of the nature that is here. These orgs and the folks who are supporting them have had to work hard to ensure that, within this concrete jungle, there’s actually some jungle here. New York is a very lush place. You just have to be intentional about finding it.
So.Gay: Who are you hoping to collaborate with, as a content creator?
Christopher Griffin (Plant Kween): As a content creator, I enjoy working with brands that have a story to tell. Whether that is their place in the conversation around sustainability, reaching diverse audiences when it comes to their initiatives, or the mission of their products. I just want to mention that my background is in education, so I’m very good at crafting stories and helping brands be more inclusive. In times like this, we need that. The brands that are really about it, are about it. They show it. I think it’s important to always put that out there for folks.
