Selected plants in the Hortus
Ribes rubrum ‘Bertin’s Seedling no. 9’
‘Bertin Seedling’ is briefly mentioned in Card’s Bush Fruits, listed under Red and White Currants: ‘Appears in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society for 1869’. [Card – Bush Fruits p.304/1920]. This is the only reference I have found. See also Ribes rubrum L.
Added on June 07 2010
Paeonia tenuifolia L.
A fully-hardy herbaceous perennial with deeply cut, fern-like leaves and single, cup-shaped, deep red flowers in spring and summer. To 70cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Added on January 29 2010
Sinningia speciosa ‘Schaeferi’
A cultivar of Sinningia speciosa (Lodd.) Hiern, Gloxinia ‘Schaeferi’ is listed in the Appendix to the Gesneriad Register-Sinningia with a date of 1863, which would appear to be erroneous. No description is given. I have found no other reference.
Added on September 07 2009
Rosa ‘Etna’
A Moss rose. ‘Etna’ was described by William Paul as a brilliant scarlet Moss rose with a purplish tinge, large and very double. [Paul (1848, 1863, 1888, 1903)].
Added on February 11 2010
Amicia zygomeris DC.
Frost-hardy, woody-based perennial with mid-green leaves, consisting of 2 pairs of heart-shaped leaflets and racemes of 3-10 pea-like yellow flowers with purple keels in autumn. To 2.2m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Added on November 21 2009
Ixia ‘Isabella’
Probably a Camden Park hybrid but no description is extant.
Added on November 10 2009
Prunus avium ‘Heart of Midlothian’
A cultivar of Prunus avium L. I have found no record of this cherry.
Added on April 22 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 - 06:06 AM | Last updated Aug 12, 2012 - 06:36 AM
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 - 06:58 AM | Last updated Oct 04, 2010 - 05:47 AM
Working Bee dates
Working Bee dates for 2012.
Published Jun 29, 2010 - 04:59 AM | Last updated Jan 10, 2012 - 06:19 AM
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 - 03:58 AM | Last updated Jan 09, 2012 - 06:31 AM
Essays
Letters on the Culture of the Vine Part 2: Climate and Soil
Letters on the Culture of the Vine and Manufacture of Wine by Maro, pen-name of William Macarthur. Letters I and II deal with climate, site and soil.
The entire book is reproduced in the Hortus in ten parts. For background information and Macarthur’s Introduction to the book see Part 1.
Published Sep 01, 2010 - 05:26 AM | Last updated Jul 21, 2011 - 01:16 AM
Australian native plants in the Hortus
Australian native plants were important to the gardening enterprises of Camden Park. Even today Australian trees such as Araucaria species, Agathis robusta, Brachychiton populneum, Lagunaria pattersonia, Grevillea robusta and several species of palm very much define the landscape of the gardens. Australian plants, particularly native orchids and ferns, were sent to England in large numbers in exchange for the exotic plants that were so much desired by Macarthur and his fellow colonists.
Published Mar 13, 2010 - 06:22 AM | Last updated Jul 30, 2010 - 04:32 AM
Letters on the Culture of the Vine Part 4: Forming the Vineyard and Planting Vines
Letters on the Culture of the Vine and Manufacture of Wine by Maro, pen-name of William Macarthur. Letters V and VI deal with the formation of the vineyard and planting the vines. The illustration used here is Macarthur’s Plate 1, a ground plan for a vineyard. This is probably based on his own third vineyard, commenced c.1830.
The entire book is reproduced in the Hortus in ten parts. For background information and Macarthur’s Introduction to the book see Part 1.
Published Sep 05, 2010 - 07:03 AM | Last updated Jul 21, 2011 - 01:15 AM
“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 - 02:27 AM | Last updated Jul 17, 2011 - 07:31 AM
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.
