The Christmas season is set to get underway at Woodthorpe Park Plant Shop this weekend with a varied programme of shopping and entertainment until the middle of December.
Passers-by will have seen the iconic reindeer lit up in Woodthorpe Park, this year with a jaunty red nose. This signals the beginning of the Christmas season.
Situated just off the A60 with plenty of car parking, the plant shop offers great gardening gifts and general plant stock all year round. Its nursery supplies gardens and councils all over the country. Fresh Christmas trees are on sale now with over 1000 to choose from. The traditional Nordmann Fir is in stock as well as the Fraser Fir – a compact tree which is popular in America. The trees are all grown in the East Midlands. Prices start at £25.00. They are available as cut trees or with roots in a pot. This year, the trees are wrapped in biodegradable potato starch netting and the plant shop will deliver free to households in a 15 mile radius.
Those more green-fingered will welcome the chance to pick up home grown poinsettias and cyclamens. These have been growing at the nurseries on site since the summer where Christmas comes very early indeed for staff. Poinsettias are available in a wide range of colours – red, white, pink, and an unusual marbled variety. Other new plants available this year are African Violets and chilli plants. There will be a display in the shop which demonstrates a beautiful Christmas table arrangement using pot plants grown at the nursery.
Festive weekends start on 30 November. Over the next three weekends, visitors can enjoy a wonderful Christmassy atmosphere with demonstrations and gift ideas demonstrations while being able to shop for great locally made gifts and local crafts from pottery to pickles. New for this year is a local screen printer which can create Christmas-themed t-shirts on site. Visitors can also try amazing local food provided by local café, Blend. The events will run between 10am and 5pm each weekend.
Alongside the Christmas village with beautiful gifts and Christmas decorations, there will be face painting, trails, and tree decorating to keep the children entertained. There will be Christmas craft areas, wreath making and quirky crafts as well as family photo areas to grab a selfie on a sleigh and keep a souvenir of a great day.
Live music will add to the Christmassy feel. Enjoy the traditional barrel organ outside, as well as performances from the Nottingham Youth Orchestra, and the Oxton Hand Bell Ringers. Full of rock’n’rollin’ fun music for children and families. Johnny and the Raindrops will be dropping by, as well as singer Ellie Mae. These acts will be spread out over the three weekends.
On December 7 and 8, the team will be ensuring Woodthorpe is ‘Reindeer Ready’ when two of Santa’s helpers will pay a visit. Visitors can take pictures and feed the reindeer special food that can be bought on site, to ensure they are in tip top condition for Christmas Eve. This weekend will also see a visit from Mrs Claus and she will be reading stories for children.
Entrance to Woodthorpe’s Christmas Weekends is free, although there may be a small charge for some activities.
Cllr Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture said: “It’s amazing to think our teams start planning Christmas planting right back in the summer. We are very proud of Woodthorpe Park and Plant Shop and this is a great opportunity to come for a visit. With so many Christmas treats, unusual gift ideas, local companies to meet and activities to try; there will be something to entertain all ages as well as some great ideas for some early shopping. And it’s not every day you get to meet a real live reindeer…or Mrs Claus!”
Festive Family Fun Weekends run at Woodthorpe Park Plant Shop between 10am and 5pm on:
30 Nov and 1 December
7 and 8 December
14 and 15 December
Christmas trees and plants, as well as lots of other gardening gifts and ideas are on sale now at Woodthorpe Park Plant Shop. The plant shop is open daily:
Monday –Thursday: 9am-4pm
Friday: 9am-3.30pm
Saurday and Sunday: 10am-4pm
Find out more at: www.woodthorpeparkplantshop.com