Rigidella flammea Lindl.

Bulbous perennial with lance-shaped basal leaves, to 30cm long, and semi-pendant, iris-like scarlet flowers, to 10cm across, with purple markings at the base of the petals.  The flowers are borne in succession before the leaves in spring or summer.  To 1.5m.  [RHSE, Hortus].

Added on October 19 2009

Syncarpha vestita (L.) B.Nord.

Erect soft-wooded shrub with white everlasting flowers with papery bracts.  Found mountain tops in sandy soils.  Spring to summer flowering.  To 60cm.  [Rice pl.LXXXIV].

Added on September 14 2009

Malus domestica ‘Court-Pendû Plat’

‘An estimable dessert apple, of medium size; in shape round, depressed; the colour yellow, a good deal covered with full red; it is of a high sacharrine flavour and of close consistence; the fruit keeps well till February or March. The tree grows upright, and bears well.’ [FCM p.43/1845].

Added on April 17 2010

Tropaeolum peregrinum L.

Frost-tender, strong-growing, annual climber with 5-lobed leaves and hook-spurred, bright yellow flowers, resembling tiny birds wings, from summer to autumn.  To 4m.  [RHSE, Hortus]. 

Added on January 22 2009

Primula auricula L.

Hardy primula with obovate leaves, to 8cm long and a flower stem bearing an umbel of up to 20 flowers, typically yellow in the wild bit in a range of colours in the Florist’s auricula.  The leaves, flower stem and flowers are typically covered in farina.  [RHSD, Hortus].

Added on October 14 2009

Atherosperma moschatum Labill.

Frost hardy, conical, evergreen tree with lance-shaped, nutmeg-scented leaves and solitary, saucer-shaped, fragrant, creamy white flowers, produced from the upper leaf axils in early spring.  To 6m.  [RHSE, Hilliers’, FNSW, Beadle].

Added on February 26 2009

Vitex agnus-castus L.

Frost hardy, spreading deciduous shrub with 5- or 7-palmate leaves, composed of aromatic, narrowly-elliptic leaflets, to 10cm long, and slender, terminal panicles, to 18cm long, of small, tubular, fragrant, lilac, blue or white flowers in autumn.  To 8m.  [RHSE, Hilliers’].

Added on February 16 2010

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

Letters on the Culture of the Vine Part 7: The Vintage (Continued)

Letters on the Culture of the Vine and Manufacture of Wine by Maro, pen-name of William Macarthur. Letters IX, X and XI, reproduced in Part 6, dealt with the vintage, including the theory and practice of fermentation and preparation for winemaking. The vintage is continued in Part 7, letters XII and XIII giving a description of grape harvesting and crushing. The illustration used here is an excellent lithograph showing the grape harvest at the third vineyard at Camden Park in 1878.

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 24, 2010 - 07:07 AM | Last updated Jul 21, 2011 - 01:14 AM

Some Account of the Vineyards at Camden

The vineyards of Camden Park are widely considered to be the first commercial vineyards in Australia. James and William Macarthur were certainly not the first to sell wine for profit or the first to export wine but were pioneers in the development of vineyards intended to produce a profit from the sale of quality wine. Prior to this wine was produced from small vineyards planted primarily for home consumption, with excess sold and sometimes exported.

The first vineyard was small, only one acre in extent, and largely experimental, but the second and third were on a much grander scale. As the closing words of this pamphlet demonstrate, James and William certainly had a vision of what was possible for Australian wine production, as they had previously for fine Merino wool.

‘Whether these Colonies can also hope to provide for the benefit of every class here at home, and at an equally moderate rate another exportable product, remains yet to be seen — so that even the tired artizan, in his hours of relaxation from toil, may not unseldom exclaim, “Go Fetch me a quart of (Australian) Sack.” ’

This short pamphlet outlining the Camden vineyards was produced to accompany samples of wine to the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1851.

Published Jan 10, 2011 - 05:54 AM | Last updated Jan 10, 2011 - 06:07 AM

Memorandum from the Antipodes: Colouring of Grapes

The following Memorandum was submitted to The Gardeners’ Chronicle by William Macarthur in 1854. Although written in response to a particular problem aired in the columns of the newspaper some months earlier, it adds considerably to our understanding of commercial wine production at Camden Park, in particular the preferred grapes and the style of wine best suited to the colonial conditions. We are also given insights into the problems caused by ‘sudden abstraction of labour attending our gold crisis’, which caused considerable disruption of agrarian and other commercial activities in Australia for some years.

Published Jun 30, 2011 - 06:42 AM | Last updated Jul 21, 2011 - 01:12 AM

Letters on the Culture of the Vine. Part 1: Introduction

‘Letters’ is an important book in the history of wine production in Australia and this is, I believe, the first time that the full text has been made available outside the major libraries. The value of William Macarthur’s book compared with earlier Colonial publications is that it is written from the perspective of over twenty years of experience of growing grapes and making wine in New South Wales. He does include theory from the pens of European authorities but the bulk of the book is written from personal experience. He is in effect saying ‘this is what we have found to work here’.

‘Letters’ is reproduced in 10 parts, beginning with the Introduction, which provides information on the history of the book and gives a synopsis of early experiences of vine importation and wine production.

Published Aug 27, 2010 - 07:50 AM | Last updated Nov 24, 2011 - 03:57 AM