Growing the living collection – camellias at Vaucluse House

For almost two centuries, camellias have been a defining feature of Australian gardens, prized for their spectacular blooms, dark foliage and remarkable longevity. At Vaucluse House, Museums of History NSW cares for a highly significant collection of historical camellias, including several rare cultivars dating back to the mid-19th century.

Many of these historical varieties can be traced to Sydney’s pioneering nurseries, including those of Michael Guilfoyle and Thomas Shepherd, and especially of Sir William Macarthur, who created Australia’s first camellia cultivar. The introductions and unique cultivars of these early nurserymen helped shape the colony’s garden landscape.

Championing the identification and preservation of these plants is Camellia Ark Australia, which is celebrating its ten-year anniversary in 2026. Co-founder Dr Stephen Utick has announced that the organisation is donating three highly prized historical camellias to be planted at Vaucluse House:

• Iris, a white formal double camellia that was first recorded in NSW in the 1830s, and sold by John Baptist’s nursery in Surry Hills in 1861. View catalogue
• Azurea, a rare red-purple informal double, from Shepherd & Co nursery
• the very rare Zambo, a small purple double bloom also from Shepherd & Co, and listed in the 1860s and 70s.

These plants join Camellia japonica ‘Mrs Fairfax’, an 1875 cultivar developed by colonial nurseryman Michael Guilfoyle² at his Exotic Garden nursery in Double Bay. The plant was donated last December, grown from a single surviving specimen that had been identified in Victoria.