Remembered Gardens

"There I saw the first olive tree ever planted in Australia; the Cork-tree in luxuriance; the Caper growing among rocks, the English Oak, the horse chestnut, broom, magnificent mulberry trees of thirty-five years growth, umbrageous and green, great variety of roses in hedges, also climbing roses." (Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell on Elizabeth Macarthur's garden, 1831)

Elizabeth Macarthur sailed into the fledgling settlement of New South Wales in 1790, after a horrific voyage from England. As a comfort and a way to evoke home in this distant and foreign land, Elizabeth set about creating her remembered garden, filling it with roses and oak trees. Edna Walling came to gardening in the 1920s, 150 years after Elizabeth's first encounter with the Australian "wilderness". Immediately captivated by the natural landscape and indigenous plants, she became a leading proponent of the Australian native garden.

Remembered Gardens is the story of Elizabeth, Edna and six other women whose passions for their gardens and for garden making have shaped our relationship with the Australian landscape. Through personal records and public archives, Holly Kerr Forsyth brings to life these women's experiences.