Compton Acres is a large garden situated near the port of Poole and the popular sea-side resort of Bournemouth in Southern England. The garden was founded in 1920 by Thomas William Simpson, a wealthy entrepreneur.
This video show all five of the themed 'sub-gardens' starting with the Italian garden and followed by the 'wooded valley', the rock and water garden and the heather garden. It ends with the 'Japanese garden'.
The Italian Garden is a marvellous formal garden which is designed to be enjoyed as a spectacle with water, fountains, statuary, topiary and mass plantings providing seasonal colour.
To one side the addition of the Villa adds greatly to the Italian sense of place. The garden features statues such as Bacchus in his Domed Temple, the Wrestlers of Herculaneum and the old Venetian bronze lanterns.
The Wooded Valley is a pine wood which has been developed as a woodland garden with winding pathways and dramatic waterfalls.
Many rhododendrons and camelias thrive here. Shade tolerant shrubs edge the terraces and glades together with woodlanders, including ferns and
foxgloves. On the lower paths a series of pools are cunningly constructed to give the impression of a flowing stream.
The Rock Garden is thought to be the largest rock garden in private ownership in England. It is home to over 300 kinds of plants ranging from mature specimens of slow growing conifers, to a wide variety of "alpines" and hundreds of dwarf spring and summer flowering bulbs.
The Heather Garden was particularly colourful at this time of the year. The plantings are a mixture of many species of heathers.
The video concludes with scenes of the marvellous 'Japanese Gardnen'. Its Tea House is draped with Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) and the thatched summerhouse, are constructed to authentic designs while the stone and bronze works of art were imported from Japan in the 1920s. The plants have been chosen with the emphasis on Japanese icons such as the colourful, evergreen Kurume hybrid azaleas, Japanese maples, and beautiful Asiatic flowering shrubs.
The music for the video is 'The More I See You' performed by the Dudley Moore Trio.