Published by the Australian Garden History Society Incorporated ISSN 1033-3673 Vol 3 No 4 January/February 1992 Letter Waverley New South Wales 2024 Carol Mansfield’s letter (Vol.3, No.3) invites a reply regarding my comments on the Tipperary Church garden featured in the recent Guest and Harpur book Private Gardens of Australia. I recall when I was involved in the preparation of similar books we always looked for gardens that would provide three distinct garden views of undeniable quality. This indi¬ cated that the garden had more distinction than just, say, one lawn with predictable views across it, and was in fact the result of a more elaborate and conscious design. In passing my remarks about the Tipperary Church garden, these are not a reflection on Sarah Guest’s text which mentions very interesting plant material and setting. Rather it is a criticism of the photographs, which apart from the graphic simplicity and harmony of the landscape view on page 197 do not convey an impres¬ sion on a par with other gardens shown in the book. This may well be the fault of the photographer or the photo editor; however splendid the real thing (as your correspondent indicates) most of us will only ever know it from Mr Harpur’s images. Howard Tanner November 1991 Cover: White perennial lupins with, to the rear, the mauve racemes of Buddleia altemifolia and, in the fore¬ ground, libertia formosa, see article on page 6 GARDEN DESIGNERS MICHAEL BLIGH & ASSOCIATES Landscape Architects Specialising in the Design of Coun try and Heritage Gardens and Parklaiuls throughout NSW & Vic. We can prepare a Master Plan for your new or established garden showing clearly the proposed layout and choice of all trees and plants which can he implemented gradually as time and resources allow. Stop toasting precious time and money and get it right the first time! ( 048 ) 21 8462 81 MONTAGUE STREET, COULBURN, 2580 Branches ACT/MONARO/RIVERINA BRANCH Ms Astrida Upitis, Secretary 5 Baines Place l.ynehain ACT 2602 I’ll: <06) 247 0665 SOUTH A USTRALIAN BRANCH Mr Trevor Mottle Walnut 11111. 5 Walker Street Stirling SA 5152 I’ll: (08) 339 4210 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS/SOUTHERN NSW BRANCH Mrs Katie Gay, Chairman I taywood Lost River NSW 2583 I’ll: (048) 362 122 Pax: (048) 362 130 Mrs Helen Andersson, Secretary Sonning, Wildes Meadow Road Wildes Meadow NSW 2577 I'll: (.048) 86 4337 SYDNEY AND NORTHERN NSW BRANCH Mrs Beth Bond 27 Cardinal Avenue Beecroft NSW 2119 Ph: (02) 484 2941 TASMANIAN BRANCH Mrs Fairie Nielson, Chairperson Pigeon Hill. RSD 469 Burnie Tas 7320 Ph:(004) 33 0077 VICTORIAN BRANCH Ms Gini Lee. Secretary c/- Royal Botanic Gardens Birdwood Avenue South Yarra Vic 3141 Pll/Fax: (03) 650 5043 WEST AUSTRALIAN BRANCH Ms Anne Willox, Secretary PO Box 1.323 Subtaco WA 6008 Ph: (09) 381 1675 The Australian Garden History Society was formed in 1980 to bring together those with an interest in the various aspects of garden history—horticulture, landscape design, architecture and related subjects. Its prime concern is to promote interest and research into historic gardens as a major component of the National Estate. It aims to look at garden making in a wide historic, literary, artistic and scientific context. The editorial content of articles, or the products and services advertised in this journal, do not necessarily imply their endorsement by the Australian Garden History Society. Cl IA1RMAN Margaret Darling TREASURER Robin Lewarne SECRETARY l loward Tanner JOURNAL EDITORS Richard Aitken Georgina Whitehead C/- 12 Oban Street, South Yarra Vic 3141 Correspondence should be addressed to the Secretary, AGHS, C/- Royal Botanic Gardens, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, Victoria 3141. Ph/Fax (03) 650 5043. 2 Port Fairy Gardens The Most Handsome in the Colony ^Elemental forces in pre-history shaped the now tranquil site of the Port Fairy Gardens. The grounds lay in the path of the Woodbine laval flow from Tower Hill which followed the ancestral Moyne River before falling steam¬ ing into the sea at the river mouth. The river plain was later a hunting ground for Aborigines who ate the daisy yam ( Microseris lanceolate!), now gone, and pig face (Caipohrotus sp.) which still grows in the Gardens. At noon on an October day of 1835, John Helder Wedge, exploring the coast, reached Port Fairy by boat in a brisk two and a half hours from Portland. His field book marked the Gardens’ vicinity as grassy, and noted a land¬ mark on the skyline. Richard Bennett recalled the scene twelve years later with the country to the north thick with giant stringy barks and great tussocks of sedge. The hum¬ mocks grew lightwood ( Acacia implexa) and she-oak {Allocasuarina verticillatd)-, on the river edge were impenetrable thickets white clad in spring (perhaps Lep- tospennum lanigenun); behind grew ‘splendid glades of lightwood’ and further west at Aringa, Aborigines were clearing giant ferns. Later, in the fifties, the Warniambool Gazette described the area as having ‘neat houses laid out of limestone with ironstone quoins, each with their own little garden...and all of a peculiar likeness in appear¬ ance’. 1 Six of these 18 cottages survive and make a pleas¬ ant approach to the Gardens. Port Fairy had been a whaling station only 20 years earlier when the issue of botanic gardens was first men¬ tioned in 1859. The population had grown to several thousand, the majority from the British Isles and particu¬ larly famine Ireland. A small group of influential people represented the Anglo-Irish establishment. They brought with them memories of the landscape they had left: the great improved parks of the landed gentry and the new recreational and educational public gardens of the cities. In the colonies they tried nostalgically to recreate the van¬ ished scenes of home. The Portland Mercury admonished: The government should set aside a few acres in the town¬ ship as a place of public recreation. At the present it would be a trifling expense, as the sameness of the bush gives little encouragement to take a walk in our leisure hours. It would be of benefit to the health of our town, in a few years more populous. 2 the sameness of the bush gives little encouragement to take a walk in our leisure hours Although Portland had gardens by 1851, it was Febru¬ ary 1859 before a start was made in Port Fairy when two councillors waited on the Minister for Lands in Mel¬ bourne. They petitioned for the police paddock site, and on 2 March the Treasury offered X500 for the improve¬ ment of botanic gardens. The successful and only appli¬ cant to the advertisement for a garden superintendent was 1 Ienry 1 ledges, 'a practical gardener of wide British experience - . 3 An acre of land in a sheltered situation, most probably within the Port Fairy Gardens, was fenced for a plant nursery and the Council decided to adopt I ledges’s design of serpentine walk and oval. The site expanded when more land was bought along the north boundary of the reserve by Rosebrook Ford lane. An enthusiastic Council wrote to the director of Mel¬ bourne’s Botanic Gardens, Ferdinand Mueller, for plants and seeds. Mueller was a patron of the Port Fairy Gardens for many years, and it is of significance that first editions of his Plants Indigenous to the Colony of Victoria and Aus¬ tralian Mosses were in the Belfast [Port Fairy] Mechanics Institute along with Vegetation of Chatham Island. Mueller espoused the use of native plants and suggested that casuarina and lightwood replenish the dunes. Casuar- ina still remains in the Gardens, and in living memory there were thick glades along the Gardens’ river bank. The Gardens also contained a line of stone pines (Pinits piuea ), Mueller favourites, but in spite of his many plant gifts precise records of species have not been found. Councillors often visited Mueller in Melbourne and in July 1859 the Council passed the first of many votes of thanks. Mueller continued to give plants and advice in spite of losing office to William Guilfoyle. suggestions were invited for the ‘best creepers to make the privies decent’ The early years of the Gardens were ones of vigorous acquisition of plants together with precarious finances. Hedges had much to try him; sand drift from overgrazing on the hummocks blew into the Gardens and Mueller provided marram seed for stabilisation, a goat ate an araucaria, his spade was stolen, he was allowed a gun against marauding magpies and suggestions were invited for the best creepers to make the privies decent’. 1 By the end of I860 Hedges’s salary had been halved and he had had enough. The following March with assistant Jones and 30 other citizens he left for the New Zealand gold rush; he returned some years later to become curator of the Portland Gardens from 1866 to 188-i. The new curator was James Prior. Prior’s first years were made difficult by the fluctuating fortunes of the Council. He was curator ‘on and off, but finally worked in the Gardens until the next century. The establishment of the Gardens coincided with a great increase in the number of plants available for culti¬ vation. Victorian nurserymen advertised supply of Aus¬ tralian plants world wide; at the same time the plant col¬ lectors were bringing back new species from such places as China, the Himalayas and the United States west coast. Daniel Bunce of the Geelong Gardens supplied plants of unknown species to the Petit Fairy Gardens, the Hon II Wrixon sent plants from Kirkstall, Reverend Whan the noted Western District botanist gave plants and Alex Bishop brought back many curiosities from the colony of Western Australia. This included a ‘...remarkable plant 3 bearing numerous pods in the shape of a pitcher with cover which is supposed to be a bloom. 5 The plant will be a welcome addition to the many foreigners now nour¬ ishing in the Gardens’. One of the citizens who had left for the New Zealand gold rush sent seed and leaf of the New Zealand flax (Phonniitm tetiax). This plant is still growing on the riverside. Meanwhile Guilfoyle in Mel¬ bourne exchanged plants with Prior. From the start the oval was used for potato and veg¬ etable growing. Although this was banned in 1865, the oval was not freed from cropping until 1887 when it was leased to the cricket and football clubs. In 1871 the migration depot was closed and added to the Gardens making them about 20 acres in area, although one paddock was given to the agricultural society’, and the old cottage went to the curator. The same year 100 Norfolk Island pines {Araucaria heterophylld) were planted as an avenue along the river boundary. Provincial papers reflected the great interest in gardening. The Banner sup¬ ported the use of boxthorn, gorse and briar for hedges. Hedges of boxthorn ( Lycium ferocissimum) bordered the eastern edge of the Gardens until the last few years, and those on the river boundary have only just been removed. In the summer of 1873 the Gardens were approaching their heyday. After a visit the Governor, Sir George Bowen, expressed himself ‘highly pleased' before sailing on to Portland in the Julia Percy. On Boxing Day the Banner announced a fete in aid of hospital extensions: This evening the Botanic Gardens will be the centre of an attraction. About 7 pm, a fete will commence, the illumi¬ nations will be on a grand scale...there will be an immense number of Chinese lanterns, and fancy lights and flags of all nations have been received from Melbourne. Several well known amateurs have been practising for some time...amusements include a Richardsons show, a Christies Minstrel, an Ashanti chief. Professor Dusehker, the latest examples of pyrotechnic art...liberal refresh¬ ments and during the evening a large balloon will ascend... 0 amusements included a Richardsons show, a Christies Minstrel, an Ashanti chief, Professor Dusehker, the latest examples of pyrotechnic art The Gardens were very well used and attracted high praise. William Allitt, landscape gardener at Tyrendarra, wrote that ‘it is the best kept minor garden I have visited...[the] credit I believe to be due to your young energetic Curator, both for his ability and civility to visi¬ tors, which last, but not least, I believe to be one of the best qualifications any man can possess in any public position / Another adulatory letter followed: We are happy to confirm what Mr Allitt wrote the other day in respect of the admirable order of the gardens kept by the curator Mr Prior...The show of flowers, especially roses is very good, the beds are kept neat and tidy. We were very much pleased by the effect of some white roses up some she oaks and other tasteful ornament. The elm trees have come out in leaf, many of the shrubs are just now showing to great advantage. Considering the small amount of labour the curator commands he certainly per¬ forms wonders with such a large area. 8 Prior was now established as part of the circle of cura¬ tors who knew each other, exchanged plants and experi¬ ence, and had some influence in the community. In 1880 the director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens visited and was ‘highly complimentary’. Fifty rose cuttings came from Isaac Thomson at Hamilton Gardens and Prior set out a rose bed. By now the State Nursery had been set up and in 1884 supplied trees. But Prior deemed them unsuitable and ‘valuable trees and shrubs were had from Showers in Melbourne’. On request Bickford, curator of Melbourne’s public gardens, sent 150 oak seedlings and the grown trees may be seen in early postcards. Other plants came from Adcock of Geelong and Allitt of Tyrendarra. The townspeople had also shown great interest in the Gardens and their suggestion that the ‘great loose boul¬ ders’ which formed a hazard in the town after dark ‘be used as an embankment along the waterfront to the gardens’ for a ‘river walk’ was carried out. 9 Picnics were held on the lawns and on Sunday the Volunteer Band played sacred music The Gardens became a tourist destination and a centre of recreation. Picnics were held on the lawns and on Sunday the Volunteer Band played sacred music. In 1885 the Victorian Railway Tourist Guide declared Port Fairy ‘had the handsomest gardens of any provincial town’. That year two bronze cannon were used to ornament the south and east gates. The first gun, pointing straight down the Moyne, made a striking picture against the large Norfolk Island pine behind. 10 The Gardens weathered the aftermath of the Melbourne financial crashes of the late eighties which affected the whole colony and in 1908, when they were 50 years old, the railway guide Pic¬ turesque Victoria described the Gardens as 'a few minutes walk across the river from the station, most artistically laid out, the cricket ground and tennis court surrounded by a circle of trees, of which the local residents have every reason to be proud’. The journey by train from the metropolis took nine and a half hours, ran daily morning and afternoon, and cost 30 shillings return. William Digby, who has spent his life in the family home opposite the Gardens, has wonderful recall of the way they were and remembers the Lovers Walk encircling the Gardens and the bluestone edgings. He describes the arbours spaced along the eastern boundary covered with passion fruit vines. The arbour design was similar to those in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens and is thought to have been instigated by Mueller. Mr Digby also describes the Mound, an eminence near the centre of the Gardens with a large Norfolk Island pine surrounded by a wide floral bed, commonly of pansies. The pine remains. Nearby is the band rotunda built from the life savings of Annie Williams. On the site of the tennis courts was an 4 The 'River Walk' at Port Fairy Botanic Gardens, pictured during the early years of this century enclosure for emus, kangaroos and peacocks and as a boy Mr Digby collected peacock tail feathers. The grand¬ stand built alter the First World War provided seats at six¬ pence each. Mr Digby can remember Mr Prior walking on two sticks and labouring in the Gardens to the last. He remembers too the last curator, Mr Vance, and the seats of rustic logs he built along the east boundary. The Port Fairy Historical Society has a large collection of tinted Rose postcards which show how elaborate and popular these Gardens once were. But as the town became less prosperous, particularly between the wars, the general decline affected the Gardens. Increased car ownership took the local population away from its tradi¬ tional places of recreation and brought a new type of tourist who found the Gardens a convenient and pleasant place to camp. This accelerated their decline and the Gardens’ integrity was destroyed. Most provincial public gardens have suffered the same fate. The present Garden Committee of the Port Fairy Historical Society has done valuable work with the help of an enlightened Council and staff in starting to re-establish some of the Gardens’ former glory. How wonderful for the town it would be if this could be done. There is a new interest in garden history which has made the phenomena of the State’s nineteenth century provincial gardens a subject of curiosi¬ ty and pleasure. Port Fairy Gardens are one of a group of district gardens - Portland, Hamilton, Koroit, Warrnam- bool and Camperdown - which should be cherished not only in a cultural sense but for their value as recreational oases in a car-ridden world. In his history of Port Fairy, Earle wrote that ‘in our lovely serpentine walks, paved with sea shell, and delightful oval, we have a monument which will ever keep green the memory of Henry Hedges'. 11 The memory is not green, but these unsung heroes should be remem¬ bered. Hedges for his imaginative design which trans¬ formed a horse paddock; and Prior for his long dedica¬ tion which created a beautiful riverside park for a com¬ munity in an outpost which could hardly have been more distant from what they still called ‘home’. Phyllis Frazer Simons Notes 1 Warrnambool Gazette, 12 May 1857 2 Portland Mercury. 23 May 1843 3 Belfast Banner, 9 July 1859 i | W Fowling, Port Fairy, the First 50 Years 1837-87, William Heinemann. Melbourne, 1980, p.186 5 Belfast Banner, 20 December 1871 6 Belfast Banner, 23 December 1873 7 Belfast Banner, 15 November 1878 8 Belfast Banner, 26 November 1878 9 Fowling, p.270 10 Unfortunately these guns have been removed recently thus disrupting a well established garden feature of the Victorian Age. They are now part of an assemblage of various cannon further along the river. 11 Ed. C U Sayers, Parle's Port Fairy; A History by William Parle, Olinda Public Relations Fty Ltd, 1973 5 Port Fairy' Historical Society Jenny Churchill Planting for all seasons A brief resume of uncommon and interesting plants Since the inclusion of this topic at the recent annual conference of the AGHS in Goulburn, requests have been made to publish a list of the plants discussed. This was to include those plants most ‘wetting the appetite’ (!) of the visitors to several of the gardens open for inspection during the conference. As I work with a team of landscape architects these plants have been used and proven in many gardens and most are best suited to colder climates. Obviously, a full list of all plants suitable for the follow¬ ing situations would be far too lengthy to include, so I have (severely!) restricted suggestions to plants that are interesting and still possibly uncommon, yet that have been proven to be hardy and relatively easy to grow. Some of these plants may be hard to find, but the search will be worth the effort! Jenny Churchill Ground Covers and Perennials for Semi-shade to Shade • Arum italicum ‘Pictum’: beautiful marbled foliage in winter, flower spathes and red seed heads in autumn. Bergenia ‘Silberliclu’: white flowered saxifraga. • Corydalis: finely-feathered grey green foliage, low growing edge plant, yellow or white flowers. • Epimediums: a variety of low and taller growing ever¬ green ground covers with heart-shaped leaves, excellent for total cover in difficult, dry shady situations. • Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae: grows to 40cm, effec¬ tive spreading evergreen ground cover for semi shade (can take sun), the usual lime green bracts. • Hypdricum calycinum: invasive, spreading by under¬ ground runners, but nevertheless an excellent, tough ever¬ green plant for total ground cover in difficult areas of dry shade. Great for carpeting the ground under trees. Yellow flowers in late spring. • Iris foetidissima: strong, thick evergreen iris foliage, excellent for providing upright contrast in difficult shady places, vivid red seed pods in autumn. • Luzula sylvatica: woodrush, an evergreen, grassy plant that grows into dense, ground-covering clumps in dry shade, looks good in drifts next to epimediums, grass-like seed heads. • Pachysandra terminalis: glossy evergreen leaves to 30cm. makes a dense ground cover under trees. • Symphytum grandijlorum ‘Hid cote spp’: a perennial comfrey growing to 33cm that makes superb evergreen total ground cover, has a continual succession of pale pink and blue-tinged flowers, will take some sun. • Tiarella cordifolia: good carpeter for shade, the white spring flowers make soft drifts under trees. • Tricyrtus formosana stolonifera: spreading perennial with tall, orchid-like mauve spotted flowers. Interesting for part shade. • Viola parma Count de Brazza’: fragrant, double white NON-invasive violet. Symphytum grandijlorum ‘Hidcote’ Euphorbia amygdaloides mhbiae 6 Sisyrinchium striatum Phuopsis stylosa Ground Covers and Perennials for Sunny Positions • Acidanthera bicolor: (syn. Gladiolus calianthus), bulb growing to 40cm, fine upright foliage, flowers in late spring. • Alchemilla mollis: can be difficult to grow well but worth the effort, will tolerate some shade. • Antbemis cupanicina: grey evergreen feathery foliage, single white daisies in spring. • Betgenia ‘Silberlicht’: white flowered saxifraga. • Centaitra montana: perennial cornflower, grey foliage and deep blue spring flowers. • Chrysanthemum maximum ‘Esther Read', ‘Silver Princess': daintier and lower growing shastas for front of border. • Euphorbia characis: stronger growing spurge with larger bracts than the more common 'Wulfenii . • Gallonia candicans: elegant, tall white bulb that flowers in autumn. • Gattra lindheimeri: now commonly available, but superb value for its dainty pale pink to white flowers that bloom from late spring to the first frosts. • Geranium macrorrhizum: pink flowered, growing to 30cm, perennial geranium that is an excellent carpeter in sun or semi-shade. • Gypsophila cerastioides: ground cover with dainty pink- marked white flowers. • Hettchera micranlha diversifolia ‘Palace Purple’: bronze coloured clumps of roughened leaves, interesting spires of cream flower heads in summer. • Iberis amara: an annual candytuft with the purest, most brilliant white flowers against deep green foliage. • Iris louisi'aua: excellent for mopping up moisture in poorly-drained areas where they grow quickly into impressive clumps, beautiful flattish iris flowers in a variety of colours. • Iris spuria hybrids: elegant, tall, strong-foliaged iris (leaves die down in late summer, appear again in winter), great for making large clumps in drier country gardens, variety of flower colours. • Libert la formosa: thick clumps of evergreen iris-like foliage with a long-flowering succession of tall-stemmed, white blooms followed by brown seed heads. Good for upright foliage contrast as well as the crisp, white flowers. • Limoniums: statice or sea lavender, basal leaf clumps with stems of very fine and dainty mauve flowers, good for drying. • Lysimacbia ephemera: basal evergreen clumps with, in summer, tall spires of slender, white flowers. Like the earlier-flowering lupins, these flower spikes make good vertical contrast. • Melandrium rtibnim: (syn. Lychnis doica), a constant and long-flowering, medium pink perennial catchfly, will tolerate some shade. • Oenothera speciosa: grows to 30cm, continual produc¬ tion of large, open pale pink blooms. • Pennisetum alopecuroides: fountain grass, makes a clump to about I metre with soft seed heads. • Phuopsis stylosa: low-growing carpeter with very fine leaves and in spring round, pink pincushion-like flowers. • Ranunculus acris ‘Fibre Pleno’: small, double buttercup flowers on long stems, good for difficult moist conditions but will also grow well in average situations. • Rhemannia angulata: deep pink, foxglove-like flowers (but lower growing), long-blooming, hairy basal leaf clumps. • Scbizostylus coccinea ‘Alba’: white flowers, mainly in summer and autumn, above grassy clumps of foliage, grows to 40cm. • Sisyrinchium striatum: grey, iris-like foliage to 50cm topped in late spring with tall spires of soft cream flowers. • Stellaria holostea: evergreen, finely foliaged dense ground cover with white flowers en masse in spring. • Thalictrum ajquilegifolium: perennial with feathery basal foliage that grows into tall, fluffy mauve-flowered spikes in late spring, excellent for tucking into the back of a border, • Thalictrum dipterucarpum: similar foliage, but taller, summer flowering with sprays of tiny mauve flowers. Very delicate. • Tradescantia virginiana: continual bloomer (blue, white) with evergreen, spikey foliage. Almost foolproof, can take some light shade, grows to 40cm. 7 Jenny Churchill Jenny Churchill Shrubs for Sunny Positions • Amelanchier canadensis: masses of starry white flowers in early spring followed by clusters of deep blue berries and superb autumn colour. Grows into a tall shrub or small tree. • Artemisia arborescens ‘Powis Castle’: a lower-growing version of Artemisia arborescens with more delicate foliage, will drape over walls. • Azara microphylla: open, delicate evergreen foliage on a tall shrub with pale yellow, insignificant but fragrant flowers, can take semi-shade. • Bucldleia alternifolia: long racemes of pale mauve flowers in late spring, finer foliaged and more elegant than most buddleias. • Bucldleia globosa Lemon Ball’: round, deep yellow flower balls. • Caryopteris x clandonensis: most useful, small decidu¬ ous shrub with rich blue flowers in autumn. Looks good next to Gaunt. • Ceanotbusx deliliauus 'Gloire de Versaille: mostly ever¬ green shrub with small racemes of pale blue. • Ceanotbus x pallidas ‘Marie Simon’: another semi-ever¬ green ceanothus, growing to just over a metre with deli¬ cate pale pink flowers. Both are much finer than the average ceanothus. • Ceratostigma willmottianum: small, twiggy deciduous shrub with brilliant deep blue flowers in autumn. • Cbaenomeles speciosa ‘Moerloosii’: a delicate pale pink version of the flowering quince. • Chimonanthus praecox: surprisingly hardy deciduous shrub with intensely perfumed waxy flowers in mid¬ winter. • Deutzia nikko: deciduous shrub growing to 30cm with white flowers in spring, good for small, informal hedges. All deutzias are worthwhile. • Erica x dadyensis: planted in groups, this and the white flowered varieties provide superb winter colour, flowering from June to early spring. • Escallonia bifida: makes an excellent evergreen infor¬ mal hedge with glossy foliage and racemes of white flowers. • Etwnymus alc/tus: interesting ‘winged’ stems and excel¬ lent autumn colour. • Exocborda racemose/: deciduous large shrub with masses of pure white single flowers in early spring. • Hydrangea qttercifblia: reliable species hydrangea with large, oak-like foliage, peeling bark and racemes of creamy-white flowers. Excellent autumn colour. • Lonicera pileata: evergreen, spreading, glossy foliage on a low-growing shrub. Makes a solid planting to about 50cm in sun or semi-shade. • Osmarect burkwoodii: evergreen shrub to over 2 metres with very fragrant white flowers. • Phlomis italica: a pinky-mauve flowered phlomis with more finely pointed grey-green leaves than the coarser /’. frtMcosa. • Potentilla fruticans: small densely twiggy shrubs with grey-green foliage and masses of yellow to pale cream single flowers, good planted in close groups. • Ribes aureum: the yellow flowered currant, flowers in early spring with small tubular flowers, has interesting cut foliage. • Syringe/ afgbanica: (x persica ‘Laciniata’), lilac growing to 1.5 metres with mauve flowers and very finely divided feathery foliage. • Teucrium fruticans: green-grey foliage with small mauve flowers, dense evergreen, makes an excellent formal or informal hedge. • Viburnums: almost every variety is extremely useful. Consider l '. farreri which blooms during winter, V. bttrk- woodii and V. carlesii for very fragrant flowers in early spring and V. odoratissimum with glossy evergreen foliage. Amelanch ier ca nucleus is Bucldleia globosa 8 Australian Garden History Society Membership Information The Society was formed in 1980 with a view to bringing together all those with an interest in the various aspects of garden history — horticulture, landscape design, architecture, and related subjects. It’s primary concern is to promote interest in and research into historic gardens, as a major component of the National Estate. It is also concerned, through a study of garden history, with the promotion of proper standards of design and maintenance that will be relative to the needs of today, and with the conservation of valuable plants that are in danger of being lost to cultivation. It aims to look at garden making in its wide historic, literary, artistic and scientific context. The benefits of membership include: 1. The Society’s official journal six times a year. 2. An opportunity to participate on regular tours. 3. An opportunity to attend seminars, lectures, social functions, hands-on garden restoration days, a variety of garden visits, weekend conferences and other activities organised at a State level. 4. An opportunity to attend the Annual Conference, held in a different centre every year, combining visits to important public and private gardens with a variety of interesting speakers. 3. Knowing you are contributing to the conservation of important gardens as a component of the National Estate. Australian Garden History Society C/- Royal Botanic Gardens, Birdwood Avenue, South Yana, Victoria 3141 Telephone (03) 650 5043 Membership Application Form For new members To: The Membership Secretary, Australian Garden History Society, C/- Royal Botanic Gardens, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, Victoria 3141 I/We wish to become a member of the Australian Garden History Society and enclose my/our subscription as under Name(s). Address. ...Postcode Telephone: Home (...).Business (...). Subscription Rates please tick Ordinary Member or Institutional Subscription $ 32.00 □ 3 year Ordinary Membership $ 90.00 □ Family Member (2 adults and 2 children) $ 37.00 □ 3 year Family Member $ 105.00 □ Corporate Member $ 50.00 □ 3 year Corporate Member $ 140.00 □ Donation* $ □ □ Cheque/Money Order enclosed Please make cheques out to the Australian Garden History Society □ Please debit my credit card □ Bankcard □ Visa Card Expiry date. Cardholder’s Signature. 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Please enclose a stamped self addressed envelope where appropriate. 3- For ease of accounting we would prefer that membership payments are not included with activity payments. Name of Activity ... Date of Activity. Applicants Name .. Applicants Address Postcode Telephone No. (H) .(W) . No. of tickets required ... tickets for members @ $ = $ . ... tickets for non members @ $ = $ . TOTAL My cheque/money order for $ . is enclosed Name of Activity ... Date of Activity. Applicants Name .. Applicants Address Postcode Telephone No. (H) .(W) . No. of tickets required ... tickets for members @ $ =$ . ... tickets for non members @ $ = $ . TOTAL My cheque/money order for $ . is enclosed Name of Activity ... Date of Activity. Applicants Name .. Applicants Address Postcode Telephone No. (H) .(W) . No. of tickets required ... tickets for members @ $ = $ . ... tickets for non members @ $ = $ . TOTAL My cheque/money order for $ . is enclosed Name of Activity ... Date of Activity. Applicants Name .. Applicants Address Postcode Telephone No. (H) .(W) . No. of tickets required ... tickets for members @ $ = $ . ... tickets for non members @ $ = $ . TOTAL My cheque/money order for $ .is enclosed Tbalictrum aquilegifolium Rhemannia angulata Viburnum daviclii Shrubs for Semi-shade to Shade • Leucothoe fontanesianci: glossy evergreen foliage on an arching shrub with cream lily-of-the-valley flowers. • Lonicera pileatd: see above. • Mabonias: Several varieties, all extremely useful for their glossy evergreen foliage in shady situations. Yellow flowers early spring. • Rbodotypus scandens: arching growth habit like Kerri a japon ica but with white flowers, can take sun. • Sarcococca mscifolia: hardy evergreen shrubs to about I metre that dislike sun and can take dry shade, have tiny white fragrant flowers followed by red berries. • Stachyurus praecox: likes some sun, interesting drooping (lower spikes in very early spring, autumn colour. • Stephancmclra tanakae: subtle deciduous shrub to 1.5 metres with elegant arching red-brown stems, small clusters of cream (lowers and good yellow autumn colour, will take sun or shade. • Viburnum daviclii: strong evergreen foliage on a shrub to 1 metre with white flower heads, plant males and females for berries. • Viburnum rhylldophylluni: tall evergreen with strong¬ ly textured leaves and large flat flower heads, will cope in difficult shady situations. 9 Jenny Churchill Mr Bidwii i ’s Erythrina Tl ic illustration shown opposite is almost certainly the first to he published of an ornamental garden plant raised in Australia. It appeared on 24 April 1847 in the Botanical Register or Ornamental Flower Garden , edited at that time by John Lindley. It was accompanied by the following description written by the famous British pioneer plant breeder the Hon and Very Rev William Herbert, Dean of Manchester. This plant was sent to me at Spofforth by Mr Bidvvill, from Sydney. 1 am not sure whether it was raised by himself or by Mr Macleay. It is a hybrid production, from E. berbacea impregnated by /:'. Crista galli, and is remarkable as being, I believe, the only certain hybrid papilionaceous plant we have. It is a very beautiful plant of intermediate habits. Its vigorous shoots die down to the root after flowering, and have leaves of an intermediate form approaching in colour and gloss rather to those of the Carolina /:. berbacea. The flowers are of intermediate size and colour; but like those of E. Crista galli, born by threes at the axils of the leaves as well as on a terminal spike proceeding from the root. 1 hope to multiply it by cuttings, and consider it to be a great acquisition. The figure necessarily gives a very inad¬ equate representation of an inflorescence too large for the plate; and the terminal spike and upper part of the shoot had failed, from an accidental circumstance, in the speci¬ men sent. Before coming to Australia in 1838 John Came Bidwill had been actively breeding plants, especially gladioli; and when he left England he gave the most promising of his new plants to Herbert. That Herbert had a major influ¬ ence on this aspect of Bidwiii’s career is shown by the following extract from a letter to Edward Macarthur Bowman, written soon after the Dean’s death: I shall lose half my interest in bulbs now that I have no longer an intelligent and active friend to sympathise with me in my endeavours especially in hybridising. The possibility that Alexander Macleay had raised this plant is soon disposed of. William Macarthur of Camden Park in 1845 sent two plants of Erythrina ‘Camdenensis’ to the well known Hackney nurserymen Conrad Loddiges and Sons, and in the accompanying letter remarked on a hybrid Erythrina raised by us, which we call herbaceo- cristagalli from its parentage. It is of exceeding beauty, and although not an original species may perhaps prove to be acceptable. This plant was first listed in the Catalogue of Plants Cultivated at Camden, 1845, as Erythrina Cam deni (herbaceo-crista galli), Camden coral tree. That ‘Bidwillii’, ‘Camdenensis’ and ‘Camdeni’ are alter¬ native names for the same plant is confirmed in a letter written by Macarthur to Lindley in February 1848 and as the first published name was ‘Camdeni’ that, according to current international rules, would appear to be the plant’s valid name. It is less easy however to identify its creator. Before Bidwill’s arrival in Sydney there is no evidence of any interest being shown there in the breeding of ornamental garden plants while soon after, as shown in the Camden Park catalogues, new varieties of Hibiscus. Criinim, Glad¬ iolus, Hippeaslrum, I.xia, Neritim, Rosa. Passi/lora, Camel¬ lia and Amaryllis as well as Erythrina were produced. In various letters Bidwill is named as the author of many of these, even though they were grown in the gardens of his friends. It appears that once he had created the initial interest the work was continued by William Macarthur, Edward Macarthur Bowman and Phillip Parker King, all close friends of Bidwill. A second seedling from the same cross ( berbacea x crista-galli) was listed as ‘Blakii' in the Camden Park cata¬ logue for 1850. This plant was named after Edmund Blake, a gardener there and the man who seems to have had the responsibility for looking after the newly pro¬ duced plants. He arrived in Sydney in 1835 at the age of 24, having been sentenced at Kings Lynn to transportation for seven years after being convicted on a charge of destroying plants. In 1868 Silas Sheather who had also been a gardener at Camden Park, exhibited another Erythrina, presumably one raised by himself, at a meeting of the Horticultural Society of Sydney. While nothing further seems to have been heard of Sheather’s plant, the other two were widely distributed both in Australia and overseas. Unfortunately the popularity of these early examples of Australian plant breeding appears to be declining. For example the last plant of Bidwillii’, or Camdeni’ as we should probably now call it. in the Sydney Botanic Gardens, where Bidwill served briefly as the first Director, was removed recently. Nor is the plant now held by the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide. In Melbourne, however, the situation is more encouraging. The name E. ‘Blakei’ has been retained on six specimens at the Royal Botanic Gardens and there are also two plants listed as E. x bidwillii. Richard Clough 10 Mitchell Library Book Reviews School Gardens — A Unit of Work for Primary School Children by Sue Allen, Meredith Fletcher & John Pearson, Centre for Gippsland Studies, Monash University College, Gippsland, 1991. RRP $14 plus $2 packing and postage (obtainable from Centre for Gippsland Studies, Monash University College, Gipp¬ sland, Churchill, 3842) A vignette of old Gippsland school photos and student anecdotes is the best way to describe School Gardens - A Unit of Work for Primary School Children. The authors in association with the Centre for Gippsland Studies, based at Monash University College, Gippsland, have compiled this kit comprising: Document Sheets: Extracts by children writing on school gardens throughout Gippsland in the 1920s; Photographs: Large format photographs of Gippsland school gardens for stimulus material and interpretation; Teacher's Booklet: Questions and activities for interpre¬ tation of the documents and photos. A guide to research¬ ing the school site, a calendar of gardening activities and useful references are also provided. The Document Sheets make fascinating reading. Student articles on school gardening activities have been reproduced from three Gippsland school magazines circu¬ lating in the 1920s. The (jap. Pc hoes and The Valley were produced by the Bairnsdale, Sale and Warragul Inspec¬ torates respectively, each containing articles by pupils, teachers and interested community members, revealing much about their daily school life. Even though the maga¬ zines were produced for only a few years, they provided an invaluable insight into the large role gardening played in the school routine. The articles begin with a description of the garden development at the new school at Mallacoota Inlet, through to serious (lax experiments conducted at various Omeo schools that may have assisted the establishment of a new industry. At Mallacoota the boys grubbed out the roots and stumps after chipping off the grass, dug garden beds, carted good humus soil from the flats and violet bordered garden beds were the result. An article from the school at Buln Buln boasted of 40 rose bushes and 80 varieties ol dahlias, l.indenow Flat school grew prize winning blooms while the girls at Morwell Bridge enter¬ prisingly sold cut flowers to the ladies in Yallourn. On the agricultural side of things, the Aboriginal stu¬ dents at Lake Tyers grew and sold vegetables in order to buy library books and equipment. Many schools mea¬ sured out agricultural plots and grew crops of flax, oats, rye, cocksfoot, barley, prairie grass, wheat, lucerne, tobacco, millet, maize, mangels, peas, beet, pumpkins, parsnips, carrots, beans, marrows and melons. Vegetables were commonly sold and entered at the Royal Show with success. Many crops became the target of experimenta¬ tion with sowing trials, seeding rates, manurial and irriga¬ tion trials all exceedingly common. Some crops were actually used for science experiments in the classroom. Imagine the potential of the horticulturists/agriculturists we have in primary schools today! Superb photographs of two Gippsland schools, taken in 1911, indicate the intensity and diversity of the students' horticultural pursuits. At the Jeelho school gravelled paths criss-cross in front of the quaint school building, creating garden beds, some formally edged with low clumping plants and all overflowing with flowering perennials. The photos of Sale North sport equally impressive flower beds along with fruit trees and extensive cereal crops. Providing the framework for a comprehensive set of questions and activities relating to these photos and docu¬ ments, is the Teacher's Booklet, from which the classroom teacher can select certain ideas or use it in its entirety. Quite appealing as this kit is, I cannot begin to comment from the primary teacher's point of view. It is certainly a terrific resource for anyone researching historic school gardens and it does make one wonder if the Gippsland students' horticultural and agricultural skills were more extensive, or just typical of Victorian country schools in the 1920s. Caroline Opie 11 Plant Names: A guide to botanical nomenclature by Peter Lumley and Roger Spencer ( Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, 51 pp, RRP $6.00) This publication packs a lot of information into fifty-one pages and will be of immense value to students and gar¬ deners in progressing from common plant names to Latin botanical names, [t is divided into three pans, with a list of books for further reading and an index. Common names of plants will always be used and it would be a shame to lose such evocative names as love-in-a-mist or love-lies- bleeding, but common names lack precision and can lead to confusion. For instance the Silky Oak does not belong to the oak family of the northern hemisphere but is the largest of the Grevillea family found only in Australia. The Latin binomial system provides a concise method to classify the plants. For example Eucalyptus globulus: the first name is the genus to which the plant belongs and the second is the specific name for that particular plant. The system is based on the work of the great Swedish biologist Linnaeus and was finally codified by a Botanical Congress in Vienna in 1905. The authors explain the International Code of Botanical Nomencla¬ ture, the sLx principles and the reasons why plant names change. For example on the principle of priority, the maiden hair tree from China was named Ginkgo biloba by Linnaeus in 1771; this name is now used rather than Silis- buria adiantifolia, named by Sir James Smith in 1797, which was often used by the nursery trade in the Victori¬ an era. The International Code of Nomenclature for Culti¬ vated Plants was established in 1953- The authors explain the separate system of registration of cultivars, their naming and the different organisations which are respon¬ sible for keeping records. They also explain the Plant Variety Registration Act of 1988 and its consequences for the nursery trade. Tire final section gives a detailed account of the con¬ ventions used in writing plant names, such as the correct use of italics and capital letters. There are examples of different spellings used by botanists in publications and now these differences are resolved. Finally there are some useful hints in remembering plant names and understand¬ ing their Latin meaning and pronunciation. Special mention is made of the many botanic gardens which are always willing to identify plants, give correct names and deal with the complex issues of nomenclature. We should be grateful to the authors who have written a logical and comprehensive booklet. Diana Ellerton Correction and Apology" In our last issue the review of Joan Law-Smith’s new book The Garden Within by Howard Tanner contained several errors. The second paragraph should read Think of Claude Monet at Giverny or Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst. Within its particular frame of reference I see Joan Law-Smith’s garden at Bolobek as an antipodean example of a highly creative person applying formidable skills and enterprise to a garden and to gardening. The opening words of the fifth paragraph should read: Finding an established garden convenient to Melbourne, others would have dithered over the Syme’s monstrous house and established belt of prunus trees, but these were immediately recognised as hindrances to a worthwhile result and quickly removed. Several sentences were also omitted clue to lack of space. The reviewer would be pleased to send an unedit¬ ed copy of the original review to any interested readers. Richard Ait ken Geoigina Whitehead National News AGHS Archives The National Management Committee has been assem¬ bling a collection of journals and other Society publica¬ tions for inclusion in a small archive to be housed at the Melbourne Office. We have had sets of the most recent issues bound and are seeking copies of pre-1989 journals. Editor of Australian Garden Journal and former AGHS Secretary, Tim North, has very kindly forwarded many issues from the period 1982-89 and the AGHS holds a small number ol the Society’s first journal and newsletter from the period 1980-82. The Society is particularly keen to obtain duplicate issues of all journals in the period 1980-89 to complete our archive. If any member would like to donate back issues, a list of issues currently missing from our set is obtainable from Margaret Brookes, Australian Garden History Society, C/- Royal Botanic Gardens, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, Victoria, 3141. Annual General Meeting, Goulburn, 20 October 1991 The annual general meeting of the Australian Garden History Society was held during the recent national con¬ ference in Goulburn. Chairman Margaret Darling gave a brief resume of the year’s activities and in particular noted the demise of the Queensland Branch. The nominations ol State Representatives were approved by the meeting and as there were no nomination received for vacancies of Elected Representatives it was decided to keep these position open and, when required, co-opt suitably quali¬ fied members. 12 State News Southern Highlands/ Southern NSW Branch Five Burradoo gardens — Sunday 7 24 November 1991 Sixty-three members were privileged to have the opportu¬ nity of visiting five private gardens in Bowral on this hot November day. Our group gathered at 1 lawthorn Villa in Osborne Road to start the day with a splendid morning tea prepared by committee member Robin Jeffcoat. The present garden owners Alicison and Greg McNamara came from Melbourne four years ago and describe themsleves as custodians of this very lovely garden, planted with a wide variety of trees - including Nyssa sylvatica , Tilici europaea, Ginkgo biloba, Maples, Dogwoods and Rhododendrons. From Hawthorn Villa (pur party walked the short dis¬ tance to Laurel Park and were guests in the garden by the kind permission of the new owners, Ingrid and Raul Wanner. All the gardens on our itinerary were until the 1920s part of the Laurel Park estate which was estab¬ lished about 1886, when John McIntosh, a Sydney mer¬ chant, and then a member of the Legislative Assembly, and owner of Lindsay in Darling Point, purchased 100 acres of land in Burradoo. The large Georgian house at Laurel Park was designed by Sir John Sulman and built in the early 1890s. The garden is now approximately 4 acres in size and is dominated by a mature Araucaria 13 bidwillii along the entrance drive to the house and fine specimens of Quercus palustris, Tilia europaea, Cupres- sus tomlosa and Pitms mdiata. An overgrown croquet court and tennis court have recently been discovered by the new owners and when we were there the original well which was sunk at the time the house was built was being cleaned out with plans to revive its use once more. We came upon our next garden Yokefleet at the end of a long hawthorn hedged driveway. Yokefleet was original¬ ly the coach house and stables for Laurel Park, and follow¬ ing the subdivision of the estate in the 1920s, the buildings were converted by the Stugdale family into dwellings to be used as a weekender. The Stugdales were keen gar¬ deners and friends of Lord Astor of Cliveden. One of Lord Astor’s gardeners came out from England and designed ‘the bones' rtf the present garden in the classic small style. The present owner Mrs Wendy Smedley purchased the property in 1986. Wendy says she ‘spent the first year dis¬ covering the original plan and has since endeavoured to enhance upon that'. This is rather an understatement, as evidence of Wendy’s experienced and creative hand is very obvious in her layout and design of the main borders, the subtle use of subdued colours in the summer flowering shrub and old fashioned rose plantings and in the creation of vistas and structured plantings. After a picnic lunch at Yokefleet we moved into an adjoining new garden Mowbray being developed by Kevin and Betty Richie. Just two years old this garden shows great promise. Mains ionensis for spring flowers and autumn colour are planted each side of the entrance drive and copses of Alnus jomllensis and Betula pendtda are quickly giving the garden an established ‘air’. The plantings near the house feature standard white iceberg roses underplanted with white valerian and other summer flowering perennials and in the kitchen garden the beds and standard lemon trees are bordered by clipped hedges of Lauras nobilis and Teticriinfniticans. Leaving Mowbray we walked out into Ranelagh Street, and from there into Wellington Street, dusty, but shaded by towering Pinas mdiata to our final garden Camoola, the home of Phyllis and Ken Hoskins. Camoola nestles into its surroundings and is afforded protection by the mature trees in the old established garden next door at Werrington. A group of the cut-leaf birch, Betula penditla Dalecarlica’ near the entrance to the house, offered a gentle welcome, and subtle contrast to the architecture of the building, and waiting for us in a courtyard, shaded under a pergola, laden with the sweet scented blooms of Rosa ‘Wedding Day’, were most gladly received cool drinks arranged for us by Mrs Hoskins. Nearby shrub roses Felicia and Penelope were in full bloom and walls covered in the lovely R. Sparriesboop gave an impressive display, underplanted with the soft pink form of evening primrose, Oenothera speciosa. Our sincere thanks to the owners for allowing Aus¬ tralian Garden History Society members to visit their gardens and our apologies to those members who were unable to be included due to the constraint on numbers. Helen Andersson Sydney and Northern NSW Branch Two North Shore gardens During 1991 members of the Society visited two major gardens on Sydney’s North Shore. This area features ele¬ vated undulating terrain with richer, shale-based soils and substantial eucalypt forest cover, stretching from Lindfield to Wahroonga. In the nineteenth century timber getting and orchards were the major land uses, and early real estate subdivisions promoted the healthy, elevated, rural qualities of the district. Easy access from the city was made possible by the North Shore railway line (1890-3) and the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1931). Sir Peter and Lady Finley’s garden at Lindfield follows a classic pattern developed in the 1920s for Sydney's better houses and gardens. This idea, shown in Wilson Neave and Berry's entry in The Home magazine's ‘Ideal Aus¬ tralian Home' competition of 1920, has a Mediterranean style house set back from the street, built in a U shape around a colonnaded courtyard, with a primary outlook to the north or east over a tennis court. The Finley's house was designed by architect John Shirley, and its delightful central courtyard litis della Robbia plaques providing a Florentine accent. The estab¬ lished North Shore pattern of major trees (including the original eucalypts) underplanted with camellias is evident here, allied with clever garden detailing and excellent maintenance. Our visit prompted interest by the University of New South Wales, and students are now undertaking a detailed study of the grounds Mahratta at Warrawee was built by the Field family at the very end of the 1930s, and its huge Art Deco brick mansion and expansive landscaped grounds (attributed to Paul Sorensen) represent perhaps the last example of a major Sydney estate requiring a full complement of staff. The bones of the garden are in fact older and a few Fed¬ eration period elements remain. Major plantations and lawns provide a visual framework for the driveway leading to the house, which is focussed on a walled courtyard with a moon gate. An azalea walk and a rose garden provide further points of interest. Now owned by the School of Philosophy, Mahratta is in need of special care and attention. Our visit prompted interest by the University of New South Wales, and their landscape stu¬ dents tire now undertaking a detailed study of the grounds. Howard Tanner Victorian Branch Grampians Weekend with Rodger Elliot, 2-5 November 1991 For botanists and gardeners alike, knowing the name of every plant in sight is obsessive. Yet more often than not, 14 no amount of flipping through books will solve the iden¬ tity of every flower, particularly when you've walking through a place of such diverse flora as the Grampians. For four blissful days, two dozen, very privileged budding botanists explored the Grampians with no other than the author of the field guide to the area. Rodger Elliot, and his wife and author, Gwen. Not only was each new wild flower identified instantly, but special character¬ istics of the plants and their habitat were explained. Minute detail in distinguishing similar plant genera such as the hairy stipule at the leaf base of each Pultenaea which is absent in the Dillwynia, makes the study of flora fascinating as well as helpful. So heads down and bottoms up we examined, photographed and marvelled So heads down and bottoms up we examined, pho¬ tographed and marvelled at drifts of Bcmera sessiliflora and Prostanthera lasiauthos in shaded gullies, the familiar Bracbyscome miillificla, the hard to cultivate Boronia pilosa, Brunonia a list ratio, and colonies of small duck orchid amongst rocky outcrops, and Banksia saxicola, Eucalyptus alpiua, Melaleuca decussata and Grevillea ili- cifolia dwarfed and sculptured by wind and rain high up the rocky mountain peaks. Amongst these gnarled alpine forms, small pools of water ringed with moss gardens, milkmaids, sundews and chocolate lilies, sheltered behind rock ledges. In contrast, the low lying heathlands were white- capped with blooming Leptospermum. The thryptomene and heath had finished flowering, but beneath the white crown a multitude of wildflowers including blue tinsel- lilies, sun and wax-lip orchids, and many species of llib- bertia. Helicbrysurn and Astmloma formed a thick carpet. While much less diverse in their flora, swamplands claim the most massive of the Grampians plants, Eucalyp¬ tus camaldulensis. Around the base of these gentle giants, running marsh flower grew profusely, in and out of the water, and overhead flocks of birds complained loudly at our presence. While in the area, we were lucky enough to visit two large country gardens at Glenisla homestead and Mt. William station, and two Australian plant specialist gardens, the Raleigh garden and White Gums Nursery. After four days our minds overflowed with botanical names and floral images. To see our native plants growing where they like it best is a triumph for mother nature, and invaluable information tea have for their suc¬ cessful cultivation in the garden situation. This weekend was a wonderful introduction to the Grampians. Warmest thanks go to our extremely patient and proficient guide, Rodger, and also to the efficient organising committee. 1 encourage plant lovers every¬ where to visit the Grampians and if you haven’t Rodger Elliot with you in person, be sure to take his field guide. Jett it ifer Wilki > isoti Plant Sale and Garden Opening This was a different event for Victorian members, it took place on Saturday 26 October 1991 and was intended to provide members and friends with a source of reasonably priced plants as well as being a fund raising event for the AGHS. Members were asked in advance if they would grow their favourite plants and donate these to the sale. We thus hoped to offer favoured plants and proven garden plants grown by our most enthusiastic and talent¬ ed gardeners. The day was really good fun - although thwarted by the weather in the first hour or so. The most enthusiastic plant hunters arrived before opening time to get first pick at the stile plants. A steady stream of potential purchasers continued throughout the day. The venue, the garden of our former Branch President Marian Brookes, was magnif¬ icent; the roses were at their peak and the collection of interesting and wonderfully successful garden plants a joy to see. One learns a lot from such a garden - to see the size, shape, form and location of the plants tells us more than a thousand words. We will remember, for instance, that Micbelia doltsopa forms a wonderful screen and that a collection of climbing roses can completely camouflage a swimming pool. All sorts of plants were offered for sale including some unusual vegetable seedlings, beautiful roses and a number of the less usual species and cultivars of the genus Euphorbia. Even seedlings of a historic oak from Castlemaine ( Quercus macrolepis ) were offered. Unfortu¬ nately not many of these sold due to them not emerging above the soil at the time of sale; next year they will be big and beautiful so make a space now. A section of ‘special’ plants was very well picked over and sold out. Altogether it was a really good chance to obtain some plants which are not easily available in the local nursery. Delicious refreshments were available all day. We raised about $3,600 which is indeed a great effort, and I thank all members who grew plants for the day. The plants came from the Western District, Geelong, Macedon district, amongst other places as well as subur¬ ban Melbourne. The Victorian Committee in conjunction with the National Management Committee is presently discussing ways in which the funds can be best put to use for the Society. Already about $700 has been used to partially fund a new answering machine and fax for the office. The day was deemed a great success and we plan to repeat it on 7 November 1992 so members can start prop¬ agating their treasures now. Sue Keon-Cohen Assistance with Journal Thank you to the following members of the AGHS (Vic Branch) who helped mail out the previous issue of the journal: Margaret Brookes, Pam Jellie, Beverley Joyce, John Joyce, Ashley Russell, Georgina Whitehead. The AGIIS wishes to thank the Urban Design Branch of the Melbourne City Council for use of their word process¬ ing facilities to assist in the publication of this issue of the journal. 15 Calendar of Events Mrs Wendy Smedley’s garden, Yokefleet: see Five Burradoo Gardens, page 13 February 1992 Victorian Branch • Wednesday, 26 February Walking tour of Studley Park conducted by Nigel Lewis. Following our successful twilight tour of Willsmere last year, this walk will take in many points of historical and natural significance in Studley Park. Meet at Studley Park Boathouse at 6 30pm. Cost: free March 1992 Victorian Branch • Saturday, 7 March In March 1982 the newly formed Victorian Branch held its first function, a visit to Cruden Farm. To commem- morate this occasion, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch has kindly offered to again open Cruden Farm for the Vic¬ torian Branch. A visit to Coolart has also been arranged. Self-drive, meet at Cruden Farm at 10 30am, BYO lunch and talk at Coolart, 1 00pm. Cost: $12 members, $15 non-members (includes $5 entry fee to Coolart) Information: John Hawker (03) 628 5477 (business) April 1992 Victorian Branch • Sunday, 12 April Visit to the gardens of Mount Macedon, including Ard Choille. Talk on the gardens and history of Mount Macedon by Barbara Strange, and Marion and Barney Hutton. Time: 9.30am, bus from National Herbarium, BYO lunch Cost: $20 members, $25 non-members Information: Di Renou (03) 417 2098 or 417 3734 May 1992 Victorian Branch • Saturday, 9 May Garden Recording Workshop. A practical day on preparing garden plans, collecting physical and histori¬ cal information and plant identification. September 1992 Victorian Branch • Thursday 24 September to Sunday 27 September Field trip to Wilson’s Promontary led by Rodger Elliot. October 1992 National Management Committee • 23-26 October 1992 National Conference to be held in Adelaide on the theme ‘Plants from the Past’. There will be several talks and discussions and also visits to garden not previously visited by the AGFIS (including an intact nineteenth century nursery, a large hill station and a cottage garden). 16 Registered by Australia Post Publication No. NBH 1733 Helen Andersson