Selected plants in the Hortus
Maurandya barclaiana Lindl.
Half hardy, erect, free-flowering climber with tubular flowers in shades of pink and purple with white and green tints, in summer and autumn. Most early depictions of the plant show the flowers as a vibrant purple. To 5m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Added on September 24 2009
Hibiscus heterophyllus-puniceus [Macarthur]
Hibiscus heterophyllus Vent. x Hibiscus puniceus Hort. I have found no description of this plant.
Added on January 11 2010
Hymenaea courbaril L.
Frost tender, evergreen tree with pointed, oblong-ovate leaves and large yellow, purple-striped flowers. To 20m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Added on December 23 2009
Ipomoea horsfalliae Hook.
Tender, evergreen twiner, the leaves with usually five, lanceolate leaflets, the flowers tubular-trumpet-shaped, a very deep, rich, rose colour. [RHSD, Hortus].
Added on October 05 2009
Hedychium coronarium J.G.Koenig.
Half-hardy, upright rhizomatous perennial with long lance-shaped leaves and terminal racemes of fragrant, butterfly-like white flowers, with greenish-white basal marks, in summer. To 3m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Added on January 16 2009
Oxalis elegans H.B. & K.
Frost-tender bulbous perennial with 3 roundish leaflets, green above purplish beneath and flowering stems bearing 2-6 purple flowers with a deeper coloured throat. [RHSD].
Added on January 28 2010
Malus domestica ‘Desert Apple’
Probably a variety raised at Camden Park. No mention is made of this apple in William Macarthur’s records.
Added on April 15 2010
News
Improvements to Hortus Camdenensis
The Hortus software has been upgraded. This led to some minor errors in the layout of plant names, particularly in the headings of Plant Profile pages but these have now been largely overcome. Improvements are also progressively being made to the content of the Hortus in three main areas, botanical and horticultural history, cross referencing and illustrations. Some enhancements will be done as the opportunity arises but most will be completed family by family. This will take at least two years to complete.
Published Sep 14, 2010 - 04:06 PM | Last updated Aug 12, 2012 - 04:36 PM
Sir William Macarthur on Vines and Vineyards
Sir William Macarthur wrote extensively on vines and Vineyards. It is our intention to publish all his writings in the Hortus.
Published Aug 01, 2010 - 04:58 PM | Last updated Oct 04, 2010 - 04:47 PM
Working Bee dates
Working Bee dates for 2012.
Published Jun 29, 2010 - 02:59 PM | Last updated Jan 10, 2012 - 05:19 PM
Open House and Gardens
Camden Park House and Gardens will be open to the public on Saturday 22nd September, 2012, from 12.00 noon until 4.00 pm, and Sunday 23rd from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm.
Published Dec 30, 2009 - 02:58 PM | Last updated Jan 09, 2012 - 05:31 PM
Essays
The Fuchsias of Camden Park
The first fuchsia introduced to English gardens in 1788 was a variety of Fuchsia magellanica Lam. This new plant soon attracted the attention of florists and, stimulated by the regular introduction of new species and varieties from South America, selection and hybridisation saw a rapidly increasing number of named varieties available through the nurseries. The first record of a fuchsia at Camden Park is Fuchsia conica, which arrived on board the ‘Sovereign’ in February 1831. By 1857 fifty-eight species, cultivars and hybrids had been recorded as growing in the gardens.
Published Mar 14, 2010 - 10:50 AM | Last updated Jun 24, 2011 - 02:45 PM
The Family Amaryllidaceae at Camden Park
Amaryllidaceae was a very significant family of plants in the history of the Camden Park gardens. The following Essay provides a little background to these important plants.
Published Jan 01, 2010 - 05:11 PM | Last updated Jul 30, 2010 - 02:54 PM
Rambles in New Zealand - part 3
Rambles in New Zealand is the only published work of John Carne Bidwill of any length and an important document in the early colonial history of that country.
It is included in the Hortus for a number of reasons but mainly because, together with his letters to The Gardeners’ Chronicle, it completes the known published works of Bidwill. His importance in the history of the Camden Park gardens and the lack of any substantive treatment of his life and achievements make it appropriate to include all his published work here.
Rambles is published here in four parts:
Part 1 – dedication, Preface, pages 1-29
Part 2 – pages 30-59
Part 3 – pages 60-89
Part 4 – pages 90 -93, List of Subscribers
Published Feb 29, 2012 - 02:11 PM | Last updated Mar 01, 2012 - 07:02 AM
History of the Florists’ Gloxinia
In the 19th century the florists’ Gloxinia was a very popular plant with hundreds of varieties under propagation. Out of fashion today, these beautiful and easily grown plants deserve to be revived. William Macarthur would not have recognised the large, multi-coloured flowers that dominate the show bench today but the plants he grew, predominantly of the slipper, or wild type, were equally beautiful.
Published Mar 14, 2010 - 01:56 PM | Last updated Jul 26, 2011 - 04:59 PM
About the Hortus
The Hortus attempts to correctly identify, describe, illustrate and provide a brief history of all the plants grown at Camden Park between c.1820 and 1861.
Plants in the Hortus
The Hortus plants served a wide range of purposes: ornament, living fences, fibre, dyestuffs, medicine, food from the garden and orchard, and many others.
Plant Families
Plants in the Hortus are grouped by Family, perhaps the most useful of the higher order classifications.
Essays
Essays enhance the Hortus by providing a level of detail about the gardens, people, and plants that would be inappropriate for an individual plant profile.
Hortus News
News provides an opportunity for people interested in the gardens to keep in touch with the work being done to maintain and reinvigorate the gardens and receive advance notice of events such as Open Garden days.
