Compton Gardens Update

What's in Bloom?

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)- The Celandine Poppy is a gorgeous native perennial with basal leaves and small yellow flowers

Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica Ait.)- The Fragrant Sumac has clusters of tiny yellow flowers and leaves that give of a spicy aroma when crushed.

Blood Root

Spice Bush (Lindera)- One of the first shrubs to bloom, when it’s branches are scraped it produces a spicy aroma. Produces red bright red fruits.

Squaw Weed (Senecio Obovatus)- Squaw weed has loose umbels of yellow flowers and semi-evergreen foliage.

Blood Root (Sanguinaria canadensis) – Blood Root is an herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America with small white flowers with yellow reproductive parts.

Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium selections)- Jacob’s Ladder is a native plant with lovely Heavy clusters of clear lavender blue, pink, yellow, or white flowers!

Golden Current(Ribes aureum)-The Golden Current is an especially fragrant shrub that blooms in the spring. It has yellow flowers and a fragrance similar to cloves or vanilla.

Photo Courtesy Flikr User: Hailgumby

Wedding Season

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Late spring is usually considered wedding season, but for those of us working at wedding venues winter is the busiest because of event bookings. Everyone knows that planning a wedding isn’t a piece of cake, but few brides anticipate the challenge of booking a venue in advance. Generally, brides book their venue months in advance and it can be difficult to envision an outdoor June wedding on a snowy January day. Compton Gardens is no exception; during the year you can see everything from redbuds to hydrangeas blooming. To help our brides plan their weddings in advance we’ve provided photos of the grounds during each season.

Red Shouldered Hawks at Compton Gardens

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

On any given day in Compton Gardens you might see a Red Shouldered Hawk, but during this time of year you may hear their distinctive kee-aah squawk. The hawks are in the prime of their mating season and prefer to build their nests which are made of sticks in the major fork of larger trees just like the ones at Compton Gardens! Their clutch typically yields 3-4 eggs.

A Red Shouldered Hawk Perched on a Statue at Compton Gardens

The Red Shouldered Hawk’s breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. The hawks primarily eat voles and mice.

Compton Gardens is a haven for many species of birds and attracts birdwatchers from all over Arkansas. For more information on bird watching in Arkansas visit http://www.arkansas.com/outdoors/birding/.

New State Champion Tree Monument

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT

The Arkansas Forestry Commission unveiled a tree monument for the American Chestnut Hybrid state champion tree at Compton Gardens on Thursday, July 21. The Arkansas Champion Tree program recognizes those trees that are the largest of the species. Trees are compared using the American Forests’ “Bigness Index.” A full list of Arkansas State Champion Trees can be found online at http://forestry.arkansas.gov/Pages/ChampionTrees.aspx.

The American Chestnut Hybrid isn't Compton Gardens' only state champion tree. We also have a Yellowwood state champion tree, and the Arkansas Forestry Commission has plans to unveil its tree monument later in the year. See photos of the monument placement below.

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"Out of the Norm" Compton Gardens Video

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Norm Allen, with the "Out of the Norm" show, which airs on JonesTV, recently visited Compton Gardens and spoke with volunteer John Spurgeon. This 30 minute video is interesting and informative, and we were thrilled with the way it turned out. You can view the full length episode below.

Special thanks to our volunteer, John Spurgeon, for his time, expertise, and commitment to The Peel Compton Foundation.

See more of the "Out of the Norm" show episodes here: http://www.outofthenorm.tv/summerseason.html

Announcements | The Peel Compton Foundation

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 06:00:00 GMT

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Gardens Uncorked 2010

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:00:00 GMT

One attendee at our inaugural July 10th fundraiser, The Gardens Uncorked, may have said it best, “The Peel Compton Foundation is providing a new venue for fun and preservation.” As someone who has been in the fundraising profession for more years than I care to admit, too often organizations forget that a fundraiser should first and foremost start with the first three letters FUNdraiser. In fact this was made very clear to me, as I handed out a specially made trivet featuring one of our bridges as a memento of the evening, several thanked all of us for a “great party.” That is a very telling statement when the enjoyment of the evening takes over the goal of that event. Mary Jordan and Rhonda French, co-chairs for the event, deserve much of the credit.

We were very fortunate that the weather cooperated by being cooler and no rain. We chose an 8 p.m. start because July can be very uncomfortable. Dusk also created a more dramatic effect with the candles all lit and illuminating the trails throughout the garden. There were three stations in the gardens, with the last in the sales office and Compton Interpretative Wall. Guests started off at the three bears statue near the trail that leads to the construction site for Crystal Bridges. (We are becoming known as the pedestrian entrance to that much-anticipated facility.)

All were separated into small groups led by master gardeners trained as docents to lead the party-goers through the grounds and identify the native Ozark flora, fauna, and trees. While sampling wine, superb trays of food had been prepared by Donna Welsh that included such fare as herb roasted tenderloin w/burgundy horseradish sauce with mini yeast rolls and fresh gazpacho served in 3 ounce dispensers to an incredible dessert table located inside featuring chocolate-cherry cannolis and brie with brandied Anjou pears and a coffee bar.

The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the iconic canoe that had belonged to the late Dr. Neil Compton, for whom the Gardens and Conference Center are named. Kevin Cherie, Superintendent of the Buffalo National River, and Ellen Compton, daughter of the late Dr. Compton, helped in the unveiling. For those who had grown up in Bentonville, the canoe brought back many memories of the canoe resting on top of the house, strung with lights, with a seated Santa.

Many thanks go to our sponsors: Mitchell Williams Law Firm which helped make many of the “extras” possible, Libby for their donation of the beautiful glassware, and last but certainly not least, Macadoodles for providing so many excellent and varied wines. We discovered that the Hahn Pinot Noir 2008 went quickly and was ranked first with Simi Sonoma County Chardonnary 2008 second, and the Gnarly Head Pinot Noir 2008 coming in third.

Please see the photo album to discover in more detail how the event looked in pictures. We plan to make this an annual event so if you did enjoy yourself, become a friend on our facebook page and let others know about your experience.

Connie Hendrix-Kral
Executive Director

Recent Events | Compton Gardens and Conference Center

Mon, 24 May 2010 05:00:00 GMT

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