Flower pot facts for kids
A flowerpot is a special container where you can grow and show off flowers and other plants. For a long time, many flowerpots were made from terracotta, which is a type of baked clay. Today, you can also find them made from plastic, wood, stone, or even materials that can break down naturally, called biodegradable materials.
Some biodegradable pots are made from strong brown paper, cardboard, or peat moss. These are great for growing young plants, called seedlings, before you move them to a bigger pot or plant them in the ground. This moving process is called transplanting.
In big greenhouses or polytunnels, where many plants are grown, pots often come as trays with many small sections, like tiny individual pots. These trays are sometimes called flats.
Most flowerpots have holes at the bottom. These holes let extra water drain out so the plant's roots don't get too wet. Sometimes, a saucer is placed under the pot to catch this water. The plant can then drink this water later if it needs to. Some newer flowerpots even have a special system that waters the plant automatically from a water tank!
Why We Use Flowerpots
Flowerpots are super useful for many reasons. They help us move plants safely to new places. They are perfect for starting plants from seeds. You can also use them to grow plants on your patio or inside your home. If you have a plant that doesn't like cold weather, you can grow it in a pot and bring it indoors when it gets chilly.
A Look at History
Flowerpots have been important for a very long time! The ancient Egyptians were some of the first people to use pots to move plants from one spot to another. The Romans would bring their potted plants inside when the weather turned cold.
In the 1700s, flowerpots were used to ship plants across the world. For example, breadfruit seedlings were sent in pots from Tahiti all the way to the West Indies. Beautiful plants like Orchids, African violets, and Pelargonium geraniums were also shipped in pots from places like Africa to North America and Europe.
Decorative Pots
In the 1700s, a famous potter named Josiah Wedgwood made flowerpots that were just as popular as his fancy dinner plates. These pots were often very pretty and used as decorations in the middle of tables.
In ancient Athens, during a festival called the Gardens of Adonis, people would throw earthenware flowerpots into the sea. A wise man named Theophrastus, who lived around 371 to 287 BC, wrote about a plant called southern-wood. He said it was grown in pots because it was hard to grow directly in the ground.
The top edge of a flowerpot, just under the rim, is often called the shoulder or collar. This part can make it easier to pick up and move the pot.
Images for kids
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A Meillandine rose in a terracotta flowerpot
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Traditional flowerpots in unglazed terracotta in Charles Darwin's laboratory at Down House
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A terracotta flowerpot in Italy, decorated with festoons
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Peat pots that are biodegradable and can be planted directly into the soil
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How the size of a pot affects the growth of maize plants
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A very large flowerpot
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Torenia flowers growing in a flowerpot
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A fancy planter at Easton Lodge Gardens in England
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Victorian decorative flowerpots at Kindrogan House in Enochdu, Scotland
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Flowerpots with the words "Trust" and "Love" on them
See also
In Spanish: Maceta para niños
