Gladiolus (x colvilli) x (x gandavensis) [#4]

(Gladiolus x colvilli) x (Gladiolus x gandavensis) hybrid, no.4 in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 in an entry dated 1846.  ‘Robust scape.  Paler than No.3, lower lobes partly yellow with dark crimson blotches.  Middling variety.’  [MP A2948-5].

Added on October 22 2009

Gelsemium sempervirens Ait.

Borderline half hardy, vigorous, slender, twining perennial with stems that spiral anti-clockwise, narrow glossy leaves, to 5cm long, and clusters, to 8cm across, of fragrant yellow flowers, to 3cm long, with darker throats, in spring and summer.  To 6m.  [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].

Added on March 17 2009

Disocactus flagelliformis (L.) Barthlott

Frost tender, pendant, perennial cactus with greyish-green, ribbed stems with reddish-brown spines and narrowly tubular, funnel-shaped, purple-red flowers, 8cm long in spring and summer.  [RHSE, Hortus].

Added on March 02 2010

Dianthus barbatus L.

Bushy, short-lived perennial, usually grown as a biennial, the clusters of small, sometimes double, often sweet-smelling flowers appearing in late spring and early summer.  There are many garden cultivars in a wide range of colours.  To 70cm.  [RHSE, Hortus].  

Added on April 12 2009

Malus baccata (L.) Borkh.

Fully-hardy, vigorous, rounded tree with oval leaves, to 9cm long, and numerous white flowers in spring, followed by long-stalked, red or yellow fruit, to 1cm across.  To 15m.  [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’]. See also Malus baccata (L.) Borkh var. sibirica C. K. Schneid. This is almost certainly the same plant.

Added on February 05 2010

Ixia patens Ait.

Cormous perennial with up to 7 linear to lance-shaped leaves, to 35cm long and often with a prominent margin, and a lax, branched flowering stem, to 50cm, bearing up to 15, pink, rose-purple or crimson, rarely white, flowers in spring.  [RHSD, CECB].

Added on November 13 2009

Camellia japonica ‘Celia’

A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 53/52.  ‘Bright crimson, much the colour of Marina, smallish size, petals good substance, outer two rows large, inner smaller and crowded, arranged in form of the heart of a cabbage. Tolerably good.’  William Macarthur.  [MP A2948-6].  

Added on June 21 2009

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

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

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

Camden Park Roses

Roses were very important to the Camden Park gardens, 297 are listed in the Hortus, substantially more than the next largest genus, Camellia with 140 plants.  This brief review summarises the major types of rose grown and discusses the change in profile of roses over the decades from 1843 to 1861. 

Published Feb 13, 2010 - 03:27 PM | Last updated Jun 27, 2010 - 11:02 AM

A Brief History of the Camden Park Gardens

William Macarthur, born at Parramatta, New South Wales in 1800, was the youngest son of the colonial pioneers John and Elizabeth Macarthur. He became an accomplished agronomist, horticulturist, viticulturist and gardener, but above all he was a plantsman. Although he certainly sought to create a pleasant gentleman’s garden at Camden his real interest was in growing useful, unusual, exotic and beautiful plants for their own sake as well as for their utility. He established his first garden at Camden in 1820. More than 3000 species, hybrids and cultivars were grown in the gardens up to 1861, all of them described in the Hortus. Many more were grown in the succeeding decades. Of course not all of these plants succeeded at Camden. William was an innovator and put much energy into determining which plants could be acclimatised and which could not and he became an authority on the subject, his expertise sought by such bodies as the Queensland Acclimatisation Society, founded in 1862.

The historic value of the Camden Park gardens is almost inestimable.  Many changes have occurred in the gardens in the almost 200 years since they were first laid out, but the basic framework of the gardens remains with many historically significant trees and shrubs surviving. Over the years the diversity of plants in the gardens has naturally diminished. This has occurred mainly since World War II, partly due to a lack of labour to maintain and replace the more sensitive species and varieties. The economic conditions of today make it very difficult to manage extensive private gardens but John and Edwina Macarthur-Stanham, the present owners, have done much to halt and reverse the post-war decline, and there is a very real desire on the part of the family to maintain and develop the gardens.

Published Jun 27, 2010 - 02:25 PM | Last updated Jun 27, 2010 - 02:33 PM