This Christmas follow the star up the tree lined avenue along Powerscourt Estate where you will find a wonderful range of Christmas events for your family.
You-know-who will be at Avoca in Powerscourt House from December 1st! Meet Santa, Mrs Claus and their hard-working elves and come away from precious memories and a special gift for little ones. Book in advance online and take time to relax in the Terrace Café with freshly brewed coffee or delicious hot chocolate for the kids.
Little ones will enjoy the chance to meet Santa’s real life deer and his friends, the pygmy goats and miniature donkeys. You can meet the animals at the stables every day from December 1st to 23rd, free of charge. Afterwards, walk off those delicious cakes from Avoca with a crisp winter walk in Powerscourt Gardens!
If you love traditional story-telling, head to the Garden Pavilion on December 1st where Aideen Mc Bride, a fabulous story-teller will be on hand to deliver tales of times past. This event is with our compliments.
Get great ideas for thoughtful, home-made gifts at the annual Christmas Decoration Demonstrations with popular floral artist Carol Bone. Carol will create beautiful Christmas floral arrangements to inspire you on November 21st, 28th and Dec 5th at 10.30 am at Powerscourt Garden Pavilion. With glittering baubles, sublime trinkets and tree decorations, the Pavilion has a great selection of Christmas gifts too.
We hope you can make it to our events this year! For more information, visit www.powerscourt.ie/events
Poinsettia (Eurphoria pulcherrima)
The Traditional Christmas Flower
Most people are familiar with the Poinsettia plant at Christmas time. Their showy red bracts make them ideal for decorating the house and they also make a great gift.
A beautiful story is told of Peptita, a poor Mexican girl, who had no gift to give the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve mass. As she walked mournfully to the church her cousin Pedro tried to comfort her by saying, "even the most humble of gifts once given in love will always be accepted by him".
Peptita gathered a bunch of weeds from the roadside, for this was the only gift she could offer. As she approached the crib her mood lifted. Forgetting how humble her gift was, she laid the weeds at the base of the manger. Suddenly, the ordinary weeds burst into brilliant red blooms. This miraculous event was named 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night'. We call these flowers Poinsettia.
To care for your Poinsettia
Keep your Poinsettia in a bright spot in your house where it will receive indirect sunlight. Poinsettias do not like to be cold so keep them warm and out of cold draughts. Allow to slightly dry before watering and never leave the plant standing in water.
How to keep your Christmas tree looking fresh and fab!
Most Christmas trees in Ireland are non-shed Christmas trees such as ‘Noble Fir’ and ‘Nordmann Fir.’ Here are some of our top tips to keep your tree looking festive throughout the Christmas holidays!
After you bring your Christmas tree home, keep it in a cool place away from radiators or other sources of heat. When choosing your Christmas tree, always try to get a fresh cut made on the bottom so that the tree can absorb water. Once the tree is in the watering stand, keep the water topped up so that an airlock does not occur. Watch out for family pets such as dog! Dogs seem to love to drink the water from the stand. I know it's my dog's favourite thing to do!!
Best wishes,
Marianne Caplice, Horticulturalist at Powerscourt Garden Pavilion