Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew Playtext

by Coral Wylie 

'A garden without a traditional English rose is a cardinal sin – and I committed eight of those before my Ready Brek. – D x'

Soil-soaked jeans and dirt under their fingernails, 19-year-old Pip is trying to find themself through gardening. But with a Dad more interested in plants than people and a Mum stuck in the past, they're left to ponder life's questions alone.

Until one day, they uncover a jacket in the attic that's been gathering dust. Bold, vibrant and very 80s, in its pocket lies a diary belonging to someone long gone. Swept up in the mystery, Pip is determined to dig into the past, unearthing secrets about an old friend their Mum and Dad don't want to talk about…

Funny, affecting and beautifully queer, Coral Wylie's play Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew journeys through one family's efforts to reconcile the past to plant the seeds of a better future. It is premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2025.