Selected plants in the Hortus
Knowltonia capensis Huth
Half-hardy cormous perennial with cordate or ovate, usually toothed leaves, and few-flowered umbels of narrow-petalled, daisy-like yellow-green flowers. [RHSD].
Added on January 19 2009
Phlox x wheeleriana Sweet
A hybrid phlox with deep pink flowers with a red centre. [Maund vol.5, no.395/1834].
Added on February 28 2010
Prunus persica ‘Camden Superb’
A Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. cultivar. A Camden-bred peach for which we have a limited description.
Added on June 03 2010
Dendranthema x grandiflorum ‘Curled Lilac’
A cultivar of Dendranthema x grandiflorum Kitam. Incurving ranunculus flowered chrysanthemum. ‘It grows tall, and flowers early, and is an elegant plant.’ [FC p.73/1833].
Added on January 28 2009
Crassula falcata Wendl.
Erect succulent with a leafy base, sickle-shaped grey leaves and flat terminal corymbs of scarlet flowers. To 60cm. [RHSD, Hortus].
Added on March 01 2009
Rosa ‘William Griffiths’
Hybrid perpetual. ‘William Griffiths’ has pale satin-like rose-coloured flowers, large and full, expanded in form and it is a robust grower. [Paul (1863, 1888), Henry Curtis p.31 vol.2/1853, FC p.229/1857].
Added on February 12 2010
Torenia asiatica L. var. concolor Lindl.
For details see Torenia asiatica L. Similar to the type but more open and loosely spreading than the species, the flowers of a more uniform blue, without the deep purple blotches.
Added on September 24 2009
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 Blight” and the Camden Vineyards
Although the general heading of this collection of essays is ‘William Macarthur on Winemaking’ the two letters and two editorials from the Sydney Herald reproduced here are not from William’s pen. They concern the vine blight and its possible causes but also give an interesting perspective on the vineyards at Camden Park and on the esteem with which the Macarthur’s, particularly William, were held as vine growers as early as 1831. This makes them a worthwhile contribution to the story of the Camden Park wineries.
Published Jul 11, 2011 - 12:27 PM | Last updated Jul 17, 2011 - 05:31 PM
A Few Words on Gesneraceous Plants
The family Gesnereaceae was an important contributor to the diversity of the colonial garden of Camden Park, with 97 plants described in the Hortus, mainly from the genera Achimenes and Sinningia. This short article provides a good overview of the history of Gesneriads as garden plants, and some very useful advice on their culture. Unfortunately I have lost the source reference, but the content suggests that it was written for an Australian colonial readership. The article is simply signed L.W.
Published Jun 26, 2010 - 03:01 PM | Last updated Jun 26, 2010 - 03:19 PM
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
Florists’ flowers
Floristry, in the 17th, 18th and 19th century meaning of the word, the growing and improvement of flowering plants for the sake of their beauty alone, has a long history in China and Asia but is of relatively recent origin in Europe. From quite humble beginnings, the small scale leisure activity of artisans and labourers, it attracted the attention of the owners of the great pleasure gardens and botanic gardens of Europe. Specialised nurseries began to appear to service great and small gardens, providing a means of disseminating the beautiful new varieties which the nurseries were both breeding and obtaining from enthusiastic amateurs.
Published Mar 12, 2010 - 03:41 PM | Last updated Jun 27, 2010 - 05:30 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.
