The appeal and popularity of this iconic brand has hardly wavered in the 250 years it has been in existence. The last decade has seen Wedgewood produce contemporary ranges and create designs in collaboration with prestigious designers such as Jasper Conran and Vera Wang.

Jasper Conran china latest range for Wedgwood, Blue Butterfly, brings his interpretation of an 18th century design to the table creating a thoroughly modern take on a classic Regency pattern. Other ranges in the Casual Collection which combines versatility and comfort with an easy elegance. From family breakfasts to relaxed entertaining, it helps to make a house an inviting home. The contemporary, clean lines of Pin Stripe range reflects Jasper Conran’s love for beautifully tailored clothing collections which have provided the inspiration for this tableware range.

Vera Wang Blanc Sur Blanc by Wedgwood. Vera Wang approaches design through her passion for detail, a unique understanding of luxury and a desire to blend subtlety with sophistication. Her vision now extends beyond couture fashion into a lifestyle that is defined by being modern, sophisticated and whimsical. Other notable ranges designed by Vera Wang are the Champagne Duchesse and Lace Gold ranges. The Lace Gold is inspired by the hugely popular Vera Wang Lace Platinum pattern. It is crafted to reflect the realities of entertaining, Lace Gold brings new formality to the understanding of modern luxury and provides something to make everyday a celebration.

The last few decades have seen the demise of many thousands of miles of established hedgerows and their associated wildlife. To help redress this balance we are offering four carefully selected mixtures of native species, these will grow together to form a dense rustic hedge that will be stock proof and encourage a wide variety of wildlife. Trim at any time from August onwards, ideally in winter. These well balanced mixes are a more economical and convenient way of planting native species. Privet is the most common hedging plant found in suburban areas. It is dark green so provides a good strong border and is easy to cultivate. Leylandii is another very popular hedging plant but one that grows at an extremely high rate causing many a neighbourhood dispute.

Evergreen mix native hedging would be the preferred choice of many homeowners and gardeners. Unfortunately there are very few suitable native or indigenous plants that are true evergreens so garden nurseries have had to adapt and use. For example, leaf retaining Beech and Hornbeam for more variety. This mixture provides as good a degree of year round privacy as is possible without using more ‘suburban’ evergreen plants.

The native Green Beech is a particularly versatile hedging plant, suitable for both formal garden hedges and more extensive stockproof country hedgerows. When trimmed as a hedge Green Beech can easily be maintained at any height from 2ft upwards. (The world’s tallest Beech Hedge at Meikleour in Scotland stands at 100ft.)! The delicate wavy edged new foliage emerges light green in late spring and darkens to a rich bright green during the summer months. As autumn progresses these leaves often change to a buttery golden yellow before turning to a familiar rich copper in winter.