Nerium oleander L. var. aurantiacum ‘Aurantiacum’

A cultivar of Nerium oleander L. For information on the species see Nerium oleander ‘Albo Pleno’.  Aurantiacum presumably has orange coloured flowers but I have found no specific description of this variety.

Added on May 30 2009

Indigofera cytisoides L.

Frost-tender, erect shrub with pinnate leaves composed of 2-3 pairs of leaflets, and terminal racemes of rose-coloured flowers.  To 1.5m.  [Don].

Added on December 23 2009

Ornithogalum biflorum (Ruiz & Pav.) Don

Bulbous perennial with narrow leaves and greenish-white flowers in loose 6-20-flowered racemes.  To 30cm.  [RHSD].  

Added on January 09 2010

Lantana camara L.

Frost tender, variable, often prickly-stemmed shrub with ovate, slightly wrinkled, finely-toothed leaves, to 10cm long, and flower heads, to 5cm across, bearing numerous small, yellow or orange flowers, turning deeper red, followed by black fruit.  To 2m.  There are many garden cultivars in colours ranging from white to red or purple.  [RHSE, Beadle].

Added on February 15 2010

Rosa ‘Triomphe d’Avranches’

Hybrid perpetual.  ‘Triomphe d’Avranches’ has bright red, very large, globular and full flowers, on a dwarf shrub.  It was among the handful of roses, among 70 or 80 new imported varieties that bloomed well at Paul’s Nursery in 1856.  [Paul 1863, GC p.788/1856].

Added on February 12 2010

Ixia longituba N.E.Br.

A cormous perennial with 5-6 linear, lance-shaped leaves, often spirally twisted, and flowering stems to 75cm, sometimes branched, bearing small pale to deep pink, sometimes white flowers, darker on the outside, in spring and summer.  [RHSD, CECB].

Added on November 10 2009

Camellia japonica ‘Isabel’

A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 32/51.  ‘Pure white, smallish size, perfectly double and regular to centre, petals well shaped, moderate substance, incurved, smaller buds of better form than old Double white.  Beautiful flower.’  William Macarthur.  [MP A2948-6].  

Added on June 28 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

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 - 05:22 PM | Last updated Jul 30, 2010 - 02:32 PM

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 - 05:03 PM | Last updated Jul 21, 2011 - 11:15 AM

Establishing an Orchard in Colonial Australia

Every Colonial gentleman with a household to maintain needed to keep an orchard of sufficient size to meet the needs of his kitchen and dining table at all times of the year. In 19th century Australia planting trees was an almost entirely manual operation, and establishing an orchard an expensive undertaking. William Macarthur developed a thriving and profitable nursery business in the 1840s, with an extensive and varied catalogue of plants for sale but heavily dependent on trees and shrubs, particularly fruit-bearing trees such as vines, oranges, apples, pears, plums, peaches and apricots. It was in the interests of Macarthur to ensure that the plants he sold were of high quality and that when received by the customer his plants not only survived but thrived and were productive. To this end he published a brief but detailed guide to what needed to be done to ensure that the planting of trees was as successful as possible and provided the best long-term results for his customers.

Published Jun 26, 2010 - 04:30 PM | Last updated Jun 26, 2010 - 04:36 PM

Letters on the Culture of the Vine Part 10: The Wine Cellar

Letters on the Culture of the Vine and Manufacture of Wine by Maro, pen-name of William Macarthur. Letter XVIII, the final letter, describes the construction and operation of a wine cellar. Although Macarthur writes ‘I have not had so much experience practically in the construction of this description of buildings, as with the majority of the details, upon which, I have endeavoured to communicate information’ it seems likely that the building he describes in such detail is modeled on the Wine House at Camden Park, the remains of which survive. Indeed, in discussing the perfect site, he also writes that ‘such in fact is the description of site adopted at Camden’. The illustration used here is a photograph of the ruins of the Camden Park Wine House showing the brick and sandstone vats built in the cellar of this building 170 years ago. These are ‘of two sizes, which contain respectively, 900 and 1,700 gallons; and we use them, as well to ferment in, as to store the wine in afterwards.’ So well built were these vats that William Macarthur asserted ‘they will probably endure without repairs for generations’. He was certainly correct in this as, although they have not been used for more than 100 years and have been open to the elements for much of this time, three of these vats are still in good repair today. The other two are partly collapsed. In this final letter Macarthur also describes the construction of brick wine bins such as are to be seen in the cellars at Camden Park house. A photograph on one of these bins is given in Part 9.

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 Oct 03, 2010 - 03:00 PM | Last updated Jul 21, 2011 - 11:10 AM