Now that the semester is coming to a close it’s time to get out and enjoy what’s left of spring. There’s only a month of spring left so let’s make the most of it! Stop into the English Hedgerow to have a scoop of homemade ice-cream or hand-squeezed lemonade while sitting in the sun, or you can just stop in to smell the flowers.

Summer Solstice Dinner: Saturday June 20th, 2009

The summer solstice, or first day of summer (June 21st), is the theme for our next gourmet wine dinner at the English Hedgerow.

Prepare for the longest day of the year with a 6 course gourmet meal of local fresh seasonal ingredients combined with naturally raised meats and seafoods.

Summer solstice is a time of magic, when evil spirits are said to appear. To thwart them, a plant called 'chase-devil', known today as St. John's Wort, may be used.

Hypericum Perforatum

(St. John’s Wort)

$50 per guest: wine pairing provided by the Corkscrew Wine Emporium for an additional $15 per person.1 seating ~ 7:00pm.

Reservation Only: helen@EnglishHedgerow.com, or call ph: 217-365-0055

Bridal University

English Hedgerow is delighted to offer our brides exclusive discounts with two of our area‘s finest wedding specialists.

Upon purchasing your wedding gown and accessories for your wedding party at Michelle’s Bridal~Tuxedo. PREMIERE BRIDES will receive 10% off their English Hedgerow wedding flower order. To see if you qualify for this and other discounts, call 217-384-7914 for details.

English Hedgerow and Mark Romine Photography are excited to extend the following great offer to you. With the purchase of your wedding flowers from English Hedgerow and your booked wedding date you’ll receive, as our gift, 75 “Save-the-Date” cards custom designed from your engagement session photos.

For more details, contact Mark Romine Photography, or see romineweddings.com.

Visit our new Bridal University web page/blog at: www.bridalu.net

Hedgerow Bistro and Catering News

We get so many compliments on our coffee I wanted to tell you all a little bit about it.

Our coffee is our own exclusive blend of 6 different beans from all around the world, locally roasted right here in C-U. It is a blend of fair trade and organic beans that give a bold, rich flavor sure to please coffee lovers. Come in and enjoy a cup on us when you bring in your own coffee mug.

As most of you may know, the English Hedgerow is open once a month to the public for our gourmet wine dinners. Over the next several months we will be hosting dinners involving the freshest local produce available. For this reason we will not be able to post menu’s weeks in advance, instead it will be only a few days. As we’ve seen most of our customers don’t mind this and are more than willing to trust in us to provide a dinning experience that is unsurpassed in the Champaign-Urbana area. For this we must say, thank you.

If you are interested in one of our dinners I would highly recommend booking your reservation at least 3 weeks out since our dinners are usually fully booked after that. If you have any questions about our dinners or would like to book your own private dinner here at the bistro you may email Jacob@englishhedgerow.com.

News from the Flowershop

Helen Philpott, Owner and Floral Director

May is turning out to be a busy month again this year. We have a full calendar of weddings each uniquely personal in detail to the couple sharing their vows.

Bouquets this month will include a lot of green colored flowers. Chartreuse is a very pleasing color to mix with either vibrant pinks and purples or used opposite bright reds and oranges. We especially love a new Rio rose called “Green Tea”.

For University of Illinois Graduation we will have an extensive selection of orange and blue flowers. If you call or email ahead of time we’ll have your presentation bouquets, corsages & boutonnieres ready and awaiting you when you get into town for commencement ceremonies.

Green Tea Roses

In Store Specials

· 40% off discontinued Crabtree & Evelyn fragrances

· 40% off ALL Vera Bradley

· FREE cup of coffee if you bring in your own mug May 18^th-June 19th

New Items

· Beautiful new Caspari napkin patterns for your summer dining needs.

· Crabtree & Evelyn Gift selections ~ Travel cases full of goodies for people who are going places!

· Gardeners fragrance gift sets for hardworking horticulturists.

· Sid Dickens ~ the very latest collectable hand made Memory Blocks for your wall.