A Scottish couple who have presented their plant pots to King Charles and Sir David Beckham has unveiled their latest invention — a pot that grows with your plant.
POTR’s new Helix pot takes inspiration from folding structures used by NASA engineers and can increase its soil capacity eightfold, expanding from a compact 0.25-litre vessel into a two-litre pot.
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.
It marks a full-circle moment for the Glasgow company, which is run by an ex-Dyson duo, husband-and-wife team Andrew Flynn and Eilidh Cunningham.
In 2019, POTR launched its first product — a self-watering, origami-inspired flat-pack plant pot — through Kickstarter, where it achieved similar success.
The original POTR pot was later selected by investor Deborah Meaden as Sustainable Product of the Year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Founder Andy presented his maiden invention to King Charles and Sir David Beckham at this year’s show, where Dragon’s Den’s Deborah presented Helix to a who’s who of the gardening world.
Rather than repeatedly removing a plant and transferring it into larger containers, users twist and expand Helix before adding fresh soil around the existing roots.
This allows the same pot to support a plant from seed or cutting through to a more established stage of growth.
It also contains a concealed water reservoir and wick which enables your plant to self-regulate its own water intake for up to two weeks.”
Andrew Flynn, POTR’s co-founder and head designer, said: “Developing a genuinely new product is expensive, particularly for a small independent company, so reaching our target so quickly means a huge amount.
“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.
Andy, 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.
Helix includes interchangeable accessories which allow users to grow basil, mint, parsley, coriander, oregano and microgreens. A propagation plate supports cuttings as roots develop, while an expandable trellis can be added for climbing plants.
The product is manufactured from recycled polypropylene and designed to ship flat, reducing the space required for packaging, storage and transport.
The couple behind the company are also preparing to welcome their first child, making the successful launch part of an unusually busy summer.
Eilidh, POTR’s Head of Brand said: “We live in a flat without a garden – this makes it possible for people like us to grow fresh herbs at home.
“Helix will not solve food security, but it gives more people a practical place to start, whether they are germinating their first seed, propagating a cutting or simply trying to keep a houseplant alive.
“To reach the target so quickly tells us there is an appetite for thoughtful and useful innovation which makes everyday life easier. ”
The Helix Kickstarter campaign will remain live for 30 days, with the first products expected to be shipped to supporters from September 2026.
