Most of our custom work is commercial topiary. A commercial piece stands in public for years, through weather and crowds, with nobody watching it. It usually has to be a specific shape at a specific size, ready by a specific date. So the first problem to solve is engineering, and the planting comes second.
It starts as a drawing
Every large commission begins in CAD. We work out the shape and dimension it before any steel is cut, because a big piece has to read correctly from where people will see it: across a plaza, down a street or from a road.
The drawing also settles what drives the price. That means how the piece is anchored, how it ships and how you get to it for cleaning.
Then we weld the frame
The frame is welded steel, built in sections and galvanized against rust as standard, with powder coating as an option. On large builds the rods are a quarter to three-eighths of an inch thick. Anything over six feet also gets internal steel tubing.
That tubing is what lets a piece stand in a public space through a winter with people leaning on it. An event prop can skip it. A permanent piece cannot.
Then we cover it
Outdoor pieces are covered in UV-rated foliage with a five-to-eight-year no-fade warranty, and in practice it usually looks good for longer. Fire-retardant treatment is available on request for venues that need it.
Mossed pieces can be planted into, so a frame can carry living plants where the site allows. And when the foliage wears out, the steel does not. We strip the piece, re-coat it and cover it again instead of replacing it. See the eight-year-old swan.
What that has produced
What a commercial piece is made of
| Element | Specification |
|---|---|
| Design | CAD drawings, dimensioned and approved before fabrication |
| Frame | Welded steel, built in sections |
| Structure | Internal steel tubing on anything over six feet |
| Finish | Galvanized against rust as standard; powder coating optional |
| Foliage | UV-rated, five-to-eight-year no-fade warranty; fire-retardant treatment on request |
| Lighting | Optional, including solar where there is no power feed |
| Upkeep | Occasional cleaning; no watering, no seasonal work |
| End of life | Re-coat and re-cover the original frame instead of replacing it |
We build the same way for everything we sell. Bare frames are in wire frame topiary, finished mossed pieces in mossed animal topiary, turf-covered figures in turf topiary and lit pieces in lighted animal topiary. A commercial commission is one of those, drawn and built for your site.
Where these end up
Our commercial pieces go to plazas and public art programs, hotels and resorts, brand launches, trade-show stands, restaurant and shop fronts, mini-golf courses and attractions. Each market has its own page: cities and public art, hotels and resorts, events and brand activations, and wholesale and trade.
If you want a piece that already exists and ships as it is, start with custom made topiary.
Starting one
Send us what the piece is, where it will stand and when you need it. From that we can usually tell you whether we can take it on. Large builds take weeks, so the date matters as much as the design.
Call 866-306-1020 or send us the brief. If you have a sketch, a photo of the site or a logo you want turned into a shape, send that too. You can see more past work in the portfolio.
