by Meredith Graves
The famous “Christmas Show”, in all its glory, can be viewed in the conservatory this year. The du Pont family always had their Christmas tree in the conservatory and H.F. du Pont thoughtfully arranged the area around the tree with seating and a stunning display of plants. The Christmas Show arrangement allowed his guests to meander around the tree and to sit down and take in all of the beauty. We have replicated this stunning show after studying many of Mr. du Pont’s notes and photos. The 15 foot Norway spruce is brilliant, adorned with lights and ornaments in bold primary shades of red, green, yellow and blue. This was a very fashionable, state-of-the-art tree in the 30’s and 40’s! Some of the plants you see displayed in the conservatory are yellow Oncidium orchids, blue Ruella or Mexican petunia, orange bird-of-paradise, red poinsettias, white cyclamen, pink camellias and a lush variety of ferns under tea olive trees. These plants echo the colors used on the tree and number over 300!
The flower arranging staff hope that you will find time this holiday to enjoy the arrangements in the house, come and feed your senses in this beautiful outdoor room, and sit for a while to enjoy the magic of this Yuletide season.
