Compton Acres Birthday treat

it looks like a great place to visit. you had lovely weather. happy belated birthday.

Many many years since been here - esp recall the Japanese garden and pagoda . Visited the blue lagoon - the lake with mineral deposits that changes colour and a trip to Brownsea Island - thanks for sharing as always good to have the grey matter prompted.Nice birthday treat.

I'm glad you enjoyed your special birthday outing.
If you could visit another British garden for your next birthday, which one would you choose ? :o)

I would love to visit RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire.

I am going to New York in Feb for a wedding, so while we are there we are going to go to the Brooklyn Botanic gardens, in New York.

If it was anywhere in the world I would love to visit the "Les Jardins de Marqueyssac", France. This garden was featured in the Dec edition of The Garden.
It is full of box topiary curves and spheres.

What about yourself ? TT

Glad you enjoyed the visit.

Our friend has revamped all the planting schemes at Compton Acres for the last few years, and is advising on aspects of the restoration. The work is still ongoing.

It's a magical series of gardens isn't it?

Belated Happy Birthday.

Visited this garden several times, T&T - it really is unique and wonderful :-)

T&T ~
I'd like a private, personal tour by Carol Klein of her own garden. :o)

Have to say I don't see what all the fuss is about, As I live about 10 minutes away I have had the opportunity to visit this garden many times , and yes twenty years ago I would have agreed with some of the above sentiments,. as far as I am concerned Compton Acres have sold their soul to corporate entertainment with more than their fair share of restaurants and bars for the relatively small garden that it is. While the structure of the gardens is fine, I find the plantings old and tired, maintenance poor , and the Heather garden and plant centre a disgrace and no longer worth the comparitivly high entrance fee
This is of course only my opinion, and I'll apologize now to treesandthings and anyone else who thinks I may have spoilt this blog,

happy belated birthday, sounds like you had a lovely time

I'm not sure that the Brooklyn Botanic is going to have much to see in Feb, but as I remember it (I visited in 1979) it was lovely!

Bluespruce you dont have to apologize. Everyone has an oppinion.
i find it interesting to see how different gardens are liked or disliked by different people. Show gardens are great for this as when you walk around or actually make a show garden you can then hear peoples comments such as "Thats horrible" or "To mordern" or "I wouldnt have that sculpture in my garden". As well as the "that is lovely".

This is what makes us all different, and stops us being boring.

TT thats one garden i would love to look around, i can imagine Carol's garden to be really interesting, and her showing it to us would be a bonus.Ho belated happy birthday.

Clarice ~
Let's go to Carol Klein's garden together.
We'll have a great time, the two of us. Lol.:o)

T.T and Clarice -

Carol used to open her garden for The National Gardens Scheme. I'm not sure if she still does, but it might be worth checking in the 2009 Yellow Book or on the ngs website when they update the gardens 'open section' in the Spring next year:
The ngs website address is: www.ngs.org.uk

Thanks Grenville.
Very useful information. :o)

Given that it must be all of 30 years since last visited Bluespruce your comments very valid - so I d be in for quite a shock from the lovely gardens I recall ?

From what Grenville says sounds like major restoration work being undertaken - so hope for the future.

Only remember one small cafe in the car park area but then Sandbanks , although fairly exclusive even then , hadnt been developed into the millionaires playground it is today.

Cant recall where that blue lagoon was but know it must ve been fairly close to Poole .Lovely rhododendrons reflecting in the lake as it changed colour.Please dont tell me its become a land fill site !

Didnt visit Lychett Matravers but is Langton Matravers close as remember the stunning coast line there.Would have loved to have seen that ancient yew tree.Go on tell me I walked right past it !

Treesandthings - thanks for your understanding, I have to admit after I posted the reply it felt like I had hijacked your blog, and I began to wish I hadn't.

Bonkersbon - I think you mean the Blue Pool, which is somewhere between Wareham and Swanage as is Langton Matravers, so you were not really too near the ancient yew at Lychett Matravers which is in the opposite direction just north of Poole.
With regards to Compton Acres, when I walk round a garden I like to feel inspired, and think yes! I would love to do that in my garden, but Compton Acres doesn't do it for me anymore, I have to say I have seen municipal plantings better than some of the displays at Compton Acres,

I went there a number of years ago. It's a lovely place to visit. I particularly remember the Japanese garden. I took some photos of it.

Bluespruce - I last visited quite a few years ago and it's sad that things appear to have gone downhill.

Hywell - yes I remember the Japanese garden well too - some lovely sculptures - like I remember a dragon wrapped around an arch or something? And a pergola by the water with stepping stones across to it. It was lovely.

You can walk round the whole place in about an hour if you don't bother with the fancy resturants, at £6.95 not worth the money.

~shall we organise a trip to see Carol's garden in Devon next year?

I understand that things have sadly declined over many years at Compton Acres, but our friend has been working hard to try to put things right. She is a top horticulturalist and really knows her plants, so I'm sure things will improve over time.
The 'backbone' is still there with all the wonderful features to enable it to be restored it to its former glory, but it will now take time and financial investment to do so.

We will have to wait and see what developments there are.

It is still a very unique and magical garden.

Let's hope it can be given a new lease of life for future generations to enjoy.