We hope you are enjoying your summer as much as we are! Our August newsletter, after a couple months off, gives a brief review of our summer and insights into the future as we start to plan for the fall.

We went back to England for a vacation in June and enjoyed the amazing Hedgerows overflowing with wild flowers, particularly the foxgloves this year; Helen came back refreshed with many new ideas for the flowershop.

Enhancements to our lunch offerings have been an important part of our summer planning. A new service bar will be opening soon to provide convenience and timeliness for those on a shorter lunch break or wanting to pick up a ready-to-go boxed lunch.

‘Outside at the Research Park’ catered by English Hedgerow with green and organic fair has been a fun summer time experience. We encourage you to the final concert of the summer on August 17^th with the international acoustic trio, The Greencards.

Cornish Wall Hedgerows, England – June 2007

Outside at the Research Park: The Greencards, August 17^th

The Greencards are an international acoustic trio that mixes bluegrass, English folk songs and melancholy ballads. Comprising two Australians and a Brit, they have headlined major festivals and toured with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. The Greencards recently hit #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Charts.

This is the 3^rd and final outdoor concert in the very popular three-show “Outside at the Research Park” series organized by Krannert Center partnering with Fox Development and the U of I Research Park.

Bring your blankets and lawn chairs! Refreshments are served at these events by Chef Oliver and the English Hedgerow Catering team serving natural and organic foods and beverages, including soft drinks, wine and beer.

The Outside at the Research Park concerts are free, held in the outdoor space on the southwest corner of First Street and St. Mary's Road, south of the Motorola building: 7pm – 9pm. Free parking is available in research park lots

Bridal University: Thursday November 15th

Planning a wedding is fun and rewarding.... It’s also time-consuming, stressful and can easily become overwhelming! We’re here to help.

This one day event at Michelle’s Bridal and Tuxedo includes a wedding floral workshop by English Hedgerow, with displays and presentations on all aspects of weddings by a number of local vendors. Each expert in their own field will be available to help answer your questions, provide inspiration, educate you, and put the fun back in wedding planning!

For more information call, or email Helen@EnglishHedgerow.com

Hedgerow Cuisine at Krannert’s Interlude

Interlude, Krannert Center’s lobby bar, features new cuisine selections from the Hedgerow that serve as light hors d’oeuvres for two or three people or a full meal for one. Selections include a fruit and cheese sampler, gourmet hummus plate, sushi-maki plate, smoked salmon plate, antipasto plate, and tropical shrimp cocktail.

The Interlude is open 4pm most Thursday and Friday evenings to offer the community a crossroads for mingling, brainstorming, or just winding down the workweek. Interlude will stay open until 7pm on non-performance evenings and until after the performance on show nights.

Hedgerow Bistro and Catering News

		Lunchtime at the Bistro this time of year is indeed delicious. Heirloom tomatoes and other freshly picked organic vegetables from Chef Oliver and Shannon’s amazing garden are included in many Bistro dishes. A new service bar will be opening soon to provide convenient and timely lunch service. You will be able to get something tasty and healthy even when on a short lunch break. Hearty, satisfying soups, crisp fresh salads, freshly baked breads and desserts will all be available to eat in the Bistro or to take out with you.
Grab a selection of your favorite foods, a bunch of flowers, and a bottle of wine and head off for a romantic picnic in the park! For your convenience a selection of ready-to-go boxed lunches will also be available
A Green and Recyclable Hedgerow: English Hedgerow is making a sincere effort to take care of the environment. To reduce transportation emissions, we source as many of our Bistro ingredients as locally as we can. We support growers and nurseries who practice organic husbandry. We serve free range, organic, antibiotic and steroid free meats and eggs.
Our lunch box selections are delivered in biodegradable boxes made from chlorine free paper. Inside, salads and sides are served in biodegradable plastic containers made from corn, and even the cutlery is biodegradable, made from potato starch. Our made-from-scratch meals contain no preservatives following healthy recipes.

News from the Flowershop

Helen Philpott, Owner and Floral Director

It’s the peak of the wedding season and the floral team has been very busy.

Hydrangeas, roses and orchids continue to be favorites but we have been surprised by the number of brides that have requested “no roses” to be included in their wedding flowers. This has allowed us to show our design skills with less commonly used, more unusual, English garden floral choices, such as godetia, sweet peas, fiddle-head ferns and dahlias, to name a few.

We are well into summer now, and enjoying designing with crocosmia, inky-blue hydrangeas, and early fall pods and berries from cooler states.

In Store News and Specials

Pot Luck of Paris of Jewelry (recycled metal)…cool..coming soon!

New Maruca Bag designs on their way

New Vera Bradley Patterns are here

40% off discontinued Crabtree & Evelyn fragrances

25% off RETIRED Vera Bradley Patterns