Introducing ... Plant your history

Museums of History NSW cares for not only its houses, museums and collections, but also the historic gardens and grounds of nine of these properties – ranging from the extensive grounds of Vaucluse House and Rouse Hill Estate to the tiny backyards of Susannah Place.

Who are the people that care for our living collections? How do they manage our ageing tree population? And how do they use modern technology and machinery but still maintain the gardens’ historical look and feel? Ever wondered when ornamental garden plants were first introduced to Australia?

Our gardening staff and curators would like to share with you what we observe and learn in our work in the gardens. You’ll discover a wealth of horticultural knowledge – from basic plant information and gardening techniques and tips, to historical versus contemporary understandings of gardens, and what’s currently in bloom at our sites!

The MHNSW Gardens team consists of a Horticulture Coordinator and six Horticulturists with different experiences and backgrounds working together to display our gardens and grounds at their best year-round. This is a complex task, as our gardens are unique and sometimes challenging, particularly because the historical value of our landscapes is very high. For example, we have what we believe to be the oldest living European Olive tree (Olea europaea var. europaea) in Australia at John Macarthur’s Elizabeth Farm. All of our gardens require a high level of care to maintain the look and feel that the original occupants may have experienced. It is quite humbling to know that you play a part in maintaining and preserving such unique living history.

Our weekly schedule usually involves visiting at least four to five of our sites, depending on each location’s event and venue hire commitments, as well as the horticultural calendar. With our sites being dispersed across Sydney and beyond, we have two main bases of operation - Vaucluse House and Rouse Hill House & Farm – making visits to our other locations from these sites.

However, beyond our schedules and calendars, it takes time and patience to learn all of the little idiosyncrasies of each garden, and to understand the sometimes-odd way we need to work with these intricate, precious and delicate garden tapestries.

Over time, we will share an inside view of our gardens, our plants and our gardening practices. Come back often for the latest instalment.

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Steve Halliday

Steve Halliday

Horticulturist

Steven is one of the horticulturists who takes care of MHNSW’s green spaces and gardens. Straight out of school, he jumped into an apprenticeship in landscaping and from there his love for gardening grew. Since 2009, Steven has played a role in keeping the MHNSW properties looking their best; you might catch him completing a variety of tasks from hedging at Rouse Hill House & Farm to mowing lawns at Vaucluse House.

Plant your history

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Florilegium plants

A gathering of flowers: the Florilegium collection

Finely detailed botanical artworks reveal the range of plants introduced to Sydney’s gardens over the past 200 years

Plant your history

A mossy analogy for Susannah Place: small but mighty

Mosses are everywhere! They are small, mighty, unsung and inhabit the most unusual places. They can be found in all our museum outdoor spaces if one looks closely enough

a yellow and black sign reads "caution spraying in progress" anlongside a sandstone wall and path
Plant your history

A new weapon in the war on weeds

A black and yellow sign warns me there is “Spraying in Progress”, and I wonder for a moment why no one is wearing a mask, or even gloves. But the dangerous looking mist enveloping these men is not what it seems

Plants against a sandstone wall in the front garden of The Mint.
Plant your history

Acanthus - an apt symbol for The Mint

Look at any classical building today, anywhere in the world and chances are you will find an acanthus leaf lurking somewhere