A Scottish couple have solved a problem that bothers domestic gardeners everywhere by inventing a pot that grows with the plant.
Husband-and-wife Andrew Flynn and Eilidh Cunningham have developed the “Helix” pot, an expandable planter that increases its soil capacity eightfold as a plant matures, eliminating the need to repeatedly transfer it into larger containers.
Inspired by folding structures used by Nasa engineers, the pot expands from a compact quarter-litre vessel into a two-litre planter with a simple twist, allowing gardeners to add fresh compost around existing roots without disturbing the plant.
The design – a world first – has captured the interest of backers around the globe, reaching its £4,000 Kickstarter target within just 24 minutes. More than 500 people have so far pledged £36,176 to bring the product into production.
The Glasgow couple first found success through Kickstarter in 2019 with the company’s self-watering, origami-inspired flat-pack plant pot. That design was later named sustainable product of the year by the Dragons’ Den investor Deborah Meaden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Mr Flynn, who is head designer at POTR, presented his maiden invention to King Charles and Sir David Beckham at this year’s show, where Ms Meaden presented Helix to a who’s who of the gardening world.
“Developing a genuinely new product is expensive, particularly for a small independent company, so reaching our target so quickly means a huge amount,” said Mr Flynn.
“The funding allows us to manufacture Helix as we intended, without compromising the design. It also shows that people recognise the problem: growing plants and herbs at home should be simple, but watering and repotting can make it feel more complicated than it needs to be.”
Helix was developed over almost two years, progressing from paper models to 1,132 working prototypes, taking inspiration from origami and folding structures used in space, where equipment must remain compact before expanding.
Mr Flynn, who also lectures at Glasgow School of Art, added: “Most pots are designed for one stage of a plant’s life. We wanted to create one system that could adapt from seed or cutting through to a more established plant.”
With the rest of POTR’s range stocked around the world by retailers including Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Bloom & Wild, Uncommon Goods in the United States and Loft in Japan.
The product is manufactured from recycled polypropylene and designed to ship flat, reducing the space required for packaging, storage and transport.
The Helix Kickstarter campaign will remain live for 30 days, with the first products expected to be shipped to supporters from September 2026.
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