The Branch Studio-in business for ten years now. The first year, we made faux bois garden ornament and furniture-in the garage at Detroit Garden Works. Our first year in business-pretty quiet. We had the winter season to design, experiment, and build. None of us had any idea where our passion for ornament for the garden might go. Several years later, we were looking for our own building. A 7 acre property with 30,000 square feet between two buildings seemed like a good idea. That good idea ran along the lines of producing finished steel garden ornament and containers for the garden.
Branch Manufacturing had grown considerably. As has the landscape company-Deborah Silver and Co Inc. There was no room to house the landscape vehicles, plants and tools any more at our retail location-Detroit Garden Works. Deborah Silver and Company needed a new home. As for Branch-a company newly emerging-what they needed were bridge cranes. I can explain. When you work in concrete and steel, you need tools that enable people to move very heavy objects from one place to another. A pair of 5 ton capacity bridge cranes sealed the deal for my purchase of the Sanford Street property. We bought a big property, with close to 30,000 square feet of buildings.
We have 7 acres there. This means plenty of space to house plant material for a landscape installation. It means plenty of space to store compost, and decomposed granite. Plenty of space to store tools, box trucks, and loaders. Room to store brick, stone, mulch, and plants. The 7 acres at Sanford Street is shared between the landscape company, and our manufacturing subsidiary- Branch. Branch has 13,500 square feet of studio space. Though this space seemed really large when I bought the property, today I am happy for the room.
I bought the property. Some ten years later, Branch is humming- producing garden ornament, boxes, pots and fountains in steel. Our finish is the closest thing to rust proof and maintenance free of any finish I have ever seen on steel. Painted and powder coated steel eventually succumbs to rust. Our signature finish looks a lot like that classic garden ornament material-lead. Our finish is not perfect. Perfect only applies to moments and diamonds. If a rust rust spot develops, it can be fixed. Given that the price of lead has tripled in just 5 years, we feel our steel ornament is a lead substitute of merit. And a vast improvement on painted or powder coated ornament. I would go further to suggest that our products are lighter, more versatile, and more reliable than lead.
Buck and his crew of four spent the better part of last winter churning out boxes, pots, pergolas, and fountains that would be available for the spring season. Though Branch does a considerable amount of custom fabrication with a lead time of many weeks, we were ready with our stock styles and sizes for the spring. We manufacture planter boxes, fountains and pergolas in three styles. Branch features 4 planter boxes in each style. A small cube. A large cube. A tall cube-and a rectangle.
Ten years ago, we were a very small group with a very big idea in mind. That said, we were a bunch of kids with a more passion than expertise. It has taken every bit of ten years to grow up. Get better. The garden ornament that Branch produces now is level, square, and true. Heavy-as in heavy duty. Frost proof. Maintenance free. We had the idea that every garden deserved pots, fountains, and pergolas that would not require much work. Every true gardener understands that a garden needs a serious committment. The garden ornament and planters from Branch-an investment in the lifetime of a garden, and beyond.
This cast iron fountain face-the face was a purchase Rob made in Kent, England, in the fall of 2012. Branch designed and built a fountain around this mask-in the spring of 2013. I am happy to say this fountain found a home, early this spring.
Another Branch introduction for the 2013 gardening season-this 3-spout fountain. The spouts were machined from solid blocks of steel. The pump-we researched what fountain pumps were the most quiet. A fountain cistern needs to display the splash and sound of the water. No humming from the pump, thank you very much. A fountain cistern that you can take home and plug in? The Branch fountains- including this 3 spout fountain- are road ready.
Though Buck and his crew fabricated stock boxes, pots, pergolas and fountains over the course of the winter, Branch Studio is swarmed right now with custom work. We are not complaining! We are happy for all of the interest in what Branch might create for a garden.
The Branch Studio, a subsidiary of Deborah Silver and Co, is a manufacturing company devoted to the making of fine pots and ornament for the garden. The Detroit Garden Works website details everything Branch produces. Should you have an interest in something we make, or an idea you’d like to explore, contact us.
