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Henri's Plant-Boosting Copper Garden Stakes (Set of 3)
Henri's Plant-Boosting Copper Garden Stakes (Set of 3)
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Henri's Plant-Boosting Copper Garden Stakes (Set of 3)
Brossard Hand-Wound Copper Garden Stakes
Hand-wound by Henri Brossard, 78, in his West Asheville workshop — on the same walnut-wood mandrel his grandfather hand-turned in the Vendée in 1921.
“I don’t want my grandfather’s stakes in a collector’s display case. I want them in a tomato bed. I want them where someone will look at them in twenty years and remember the old man who made them.” — Henri Brossard, West Asheville NC
What’s in the Set
- 3 hand-wound copper stakes — 32 cm each, slightly unique
- 1 hand-written card signed by Henri with planting notes from the 1921 notebook
- Brown paper & twine packaging — no plastic, reusable
- Workshop phone line — Henri answers planting questions 3 days a week
What Makes Each Stake
The 1921 Mandrel Method
Every Lakhovsky coil is wound on the same walnut-wood mandrel Henri’s grandfather hand-turned in the Vendée in 1921. Over a century of copper has worn eight shallow grooves into the walnut.
99.9% Pure Copper
No brass, no alloy, no plating. Agricultural-grade copper drawn in small batches from a single Pennsylvania mill. Develops the traditional Vendée verdigris patina in its first season.
The Three-Element Antenna
Each stake combines three structures drawn from the 1921 notebook: the flat Lakhovsky spiral coil head, the dense ring-binding below it, and the helix wrap that descends to the soil tip.
The 32-cm Garden Standard
Vendée market gardeners observed that a stake between 30–34 cm fits any vegetable row, raised bed, or container without disturbing the root zone. Held to the millimeter.
The Hand-Wind Variance
No two stakes are identical. Each coil carries the micro-signature of Henri’s thumb — pressure, angle, the small hesitation before the final winding. The signature of the method, not a defect.
The Walnut-Polish Finish
Industrial steel mandrels leave microscopic scratches on the inside of a coil. The walnut-wood mandrel burnishes the copper smooth as the wire is drawn against the grain.
“What sets the Brossard stakes apart isn’t the copper alone — it’s the unbroken chain of the method. A 1921 Vendée mandrel, the same family, the same hand-form. In a century of mass-produced garden tools, this kind of provenance is genuinely rare.”
DR. ELEANOR THATCHER Heritage Horticulture Research, Asheville Botanical SocietyQuality Promise
- Hand-wound by Henri Brossard. Every stake passes through his hands.
- Documented Lakhovsky tradition. Form drawn directly from the 1921 French notebook.
- Pure copper, no alloy. 99.9% agricultural-grade from a Pennsylvania mill.
- Made in America. The whole process happens in West Asheville, North Carolina.
- One of the last 400. No more Brossard stakes will be made after this batch.
30-Day Garden Guarantee
If a stake doesn’t feel right in your garden, return it within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, no restocking fee. Henri’s daughter Claire handles the paperwork — just email the workshop and a return label arrives the same day.
Because every stake is wound by hand on a 100-year-old walnut mandrel, no two are identical. You may receive coils with subtle variation in winding tightness, ring-binding alignment, or surface patina — these are the maker’s micro-signatures, not flaws.
Product Details
| Material | 99.9% pure copper (agricultural grade) |
| Finish | Walnut-burnished, untreated — develops natural verdigris patina |
| Set Contents | 3 hand-wound copper stakes, hand-written card, brown paper & twine packaging |
| Stake Length | 32 cm (12.5 inches), held to the millimeter |
| Spiral Coil Diameter | ~5 cm (2 inches), wound on the 1921 walnut mandrel |
| Recommended Use | Raised beds, vegetable rows, food-forest plantings, container gardens |
| Care | No cleaning needed. Rinse with water if soil-caked. Patina is natural. |
| Origin | Hand-wound in West Asheville, North Carolina, USA |
| Tradition | Based on Georges Lakhovsky’s 1921 Vendée gardening notebook |
| Maker | Henri Brossard, 78, retired toolmaker |
| Edition | Final batch — one of the last 400 ever to be wound |
The Final 400
The Final 400
Message from the workshop:
Henri Brossard has been winding pure copper garden stakes on the same 6-cm walnut-wood mandrel his grandfather hand-turned in the Vendée region of France in 1921. The leather-bound 1921 French notebook of pencil sketches from Georges Lakhovsky’s Paris lectures still lies open on the workbench, always on the same page — the master sketch of the double-spiral head. Henri started bending the stakes himself in 1998 after finding the notebook in a garage corner.
Since the arthritis in his right thumb was diagnosed in 2022, Henri can only wind four or five stakes a day, down from twenty-five. 400 stakes remain in a wooden crate behind the workbench. When the crate is empty, the walnut mandrel goes back into the drawer.
Every stake is wound on the same mandrel his grandfather carried across the Atlantic in 1923. No two are identical. When they’re gone, they’re gone.
Shipping with UPS / USPS
Shipping with UPS / USPS
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 7–10 business days
- Insured: Every package is fully insured
- Hand-packed in unbleached cotton wrap and a kraft box — no plastic, no styrofoam
🌳 Carbon-neutral shipping with UPS / USPS
800+ Heritage Gardeners
Excellent 4.9
What Henri’s customers are saying
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Henri’s daughter and the Craft Folk team personally respond to every single email — as fast as we possibly can. Whether you have a question about your order, your stakes, or the 1921 notebook itself, we’re here.
You can reach us:
- Mon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (ET)
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (ET)
Email: hello@craft-folk.com
Can I return my stakes if I don’t love them?
Can I return my stakes if I don’t love them?
Of course. We stand behind every set that leaves Henri’s workshop. If your Brossard stakes arrive anything less than perfect, or you simply don’t love them within 30 days, write us at returns@craft-folk.com and we’ll send a prepaid label and refund your purchase. No hassle, no headaches.
How is each Brossard stake made?
How is each Brossard stake made?
Every stake is hand-wound by Henri Brossard in his 22-square-meter workshop behind a 1942 craftsman house in West Asheville, North Carolina. Each Lakhovsky double-spiral head is wound on the same 6-cm walnut-wood mandrel Henri’s grandfather hand-turned in the Vendée region of France in 1921, then carried across the Atlantic to North Carolina in 1923. The leather-bound 1921 French notebook of pencil sketches from Lakhovsky’s Paris lectures lies open on the workbench, always on the master sketch of the double-spiral head.
Material: 99.9% pure copper wire. Length: 32 cm (12.5 inches). Three structural elements per stake: flat double-spiral head, dense ring-binding, and helical-wrapped stem. Each one carries Henri’s thumb-print of variation — no two are identical.
No machines. No molds. No two are the same.