Notice

Colin Mills, compiler of the Hortus Camdenensis, died in late November 2012 after a short illness. As he always considered the Hortus his legacy, it is his family's intention to keep the site running in perpetuity. It will not, however, be updated in the near future.

Camden Park House from the East Lawn. Photography by Leigh Youdale

Selected plants in the Hortus

Justicia species unidentified [1]

An unidentified species of Justicia or a related genus. See Justicia carnea Lindl. for more information.

Added on February 22 2010

Dendrobium ochreatum Lindl.

Half hardy deciduous orchid with curved and knotted pseudobulbs, to 35cm long, and usually pairs of bright orange flowers, to 7.5cm across, arising from the nodes, with a crimson blotch on the lip.  [RHSD, Hortus].

Added on January 25 2010

Rhododendron indicum ‘Dunbarri’

A cultivar of Rhododendron indicum Sweet. I have found no reference to this azalea and no description.

Added on June 07 2009

Rosa ‘Général Lamoriciére’

Classified by William Paul as a Hybrid China.  It has bright lilac-pink flowers, beautiful in shape, frequently giving autumn blooms.  Thomas Appleby of the Rose Mount Nursery, York, writing in The Gardeners’ Chronicle, and recommending this rose amongst his old favourites, the summer roses.  [Gard. Chron. 1857].

 

 

Added on February 12 2010

Spiloxene capensis (L.) Garside

Half-hardy cormous perennial with erect, narrow, linear basal leaves and, in spring, solitary, upward-facing, white or yellow flowers, with bright purple or green basal spots.  To 20cm.  [RHSE, Hortus, CECB]. 

Added on January 19 2009

Iris germanica L. var. florentina (L.) Dykes

Fully-hardy, rhizomatous bearded iris with fans of sometimes evergreen, grey-green leaves and sparsely branched stems bearing strongly-scented white flowers, smaller than I. germanica, in early spring.  To 1.2m.  Paxton’s Dictionary describes a variety, minor, with grey flowers.  [RHSE, Hortus].

Added on October 31 2009

Salvia patens Cav.

Frost hardy tuberous perennial with few-flowered loose, terminal racemes of paired, deep blue flowers in midsummer to mid-autumn.  To 60cm.  [RHSE, Hortus].

Added on February 09 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

Camden Park Nursery Group

We are a small voluntary group helping to maintain and preserve the historic Camden Park gardens. There are regular meeting days, currently Tuesday and Saturday but this can be varied, but most members contribute through Working Bees held typically every third Sunday.

Published Jun 27, 2010 - 04:16 PM | Last updated Jun 27, 2010 - 04:32 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

Edmund Blake - Gardener

Edmund Blake is important in the history of Camden Park gardens, where he was employed as a gardener from 1837 until probably at least 1867.  William Macarthur named three hybrid plants in his honour, Passiflora  ‘Blakei’, Gladiolus ‘Blakei’ and Erythrina ‘Blakei, testament to the high regard in which he was held.  Erythrina ‘Blakei’ has survived to this day. It is a magnificent shrub worthy of a place in any large garden.

Published Apr 03, 2010 - 03:35 PM | Last updated Aug 14, 2012 - 04:55 PM

“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

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.