A bunch of fresh flowers can add a whole aura of rejuvenating and positive energy to a living space. I love adorning my home with delicate bouquets of flowers, but something I often struggle with is – keeping them ALIVE for a decent amount of time. Quite sadly, I don’t have green fingers, and if you happen to fall in the same category, then this product may thrill you as much as it thrilled me! Say hello to the POTR Letterbox Vase – the ingenious vase employs a centuries-old hack that was used as early as the 1600s to keep your flowers fresh, healthy, and alive!
Designer: POTR Pots
Designed by Glasgow-based POTR Pots, the LetterBox Vase is inspired by an age-old trick to keep fresh-cut flowers alive longer. Simply drop a pre-1992 1 or 2 pence coin from The Royal Mint, or a pre-1982 penny from the U.S. Treasury, into a vase of water, and then add in your flowers! Now, let me tell you why this technique is foolproof – copper is a natural antimicrobial that kills the bacteria build-up in the vase water, allowing the flowers to grow and live longer, without being infested with bacteria. Designer Andrew Flynn, co-founder of POTR Pots, learned this trick from his grandmother! “I was in the kitchen with her one day when she was preparing a fresh bunch of flowers, cutting the stems, when I noticed she’d flicked a spare 2 pence coin into one of the vases. When I asked why she was seemingly throwing away her money, she explained the copper in the coin keeps the flowers alive for longer,” said Flynn.
The POTR Letterbox Vase features a copper stem and utilizes the antimicrobial power of the material to kill off germs and reduce excessive flower and water waste, making the vase self-cleansing! The outer shell of the vase is origami-inspired and is built from recycled polypropylene and high-grade silicone rubber, and protects the copper stem, that is nestled away amongst the flower stems. The innovative vase has a flat-pack design, which reduces the carbon footprint of delivery by more than 100 times. It is machine washable, and won’t break/crush if dropped on the floor, it will simply bounce back! It can hold a full flower bouquet and a liter of water, with the soft silicon rim of the vase serving as a cushioning for the flower stems, preventing damage.
Flynn said: “A huge amount of energy is required to produce and then transport flowers in order to be sold in the UK and around the world. The majority of flowers sold in the UK are imported, often by air freight, meaning the carbon footprint associated with a bouquet of flowers can be relatively high. If not cared for properly, flowers will die prematurely, exacerbating the problem of wastage. At POTR, we understand the importance flowers can play in people’s lives – especially on special occasions – and therefore we want to ensure premature waste of flowers is kept to a minimum.” POTR Pot’s initiative of the LetterBox Vase will definitely provide flowers with a longer lifespan, and help them to thrive beautifully, in turn reducing the premature wastage of flowers. Plus it is available in three pretty pastel colors to choose from!
