ABOUT US
Hill View is a small specialist mail order nursery offering a wide range of rare and unusual bulbs for those gardening in cool to Mediterranean type climates. We have extensive listings of crocus, cyclamen, calochortus, fritillaries, snowdrops, iris and much more - many not available anywhere else. These bulbs are from a high quality collection derived mostly from worldwide seed exchanges, and, our own seed gathering expeditions, and so a high degree of confidence is placed on their identification and provenance. Our catalogue is issued in December and runs till the end of April and we have accreditation for all Australian states and for export overseas.
Mr M Harvey
400 Huon Road
South Hobart, Tas. 7004
Ph: (03) 6224 0770 or
(03) 6223 1608
email: hillview400@hotmail.com
Welcome to Hill Views - summer catalogue
Welcome to our 2011/2012 summer catalogue. We have never had so many problems in fitting
the range of plants we have "on our books" into the available space! We always try and keep our
lists "democratic" and balanced although at times our prejudices show and one or two groups
rise to the top. This year we are offering an unprecedented range of calochortus in a multiplicity
of sizes, colours and flower shapes from the charming fairy lanterns of C. albidus through to the
spectacular, later-flowering mariposas with upward-facing bowl-shaped flowers in a rich tapestry
of shades from canary-yellow through to lilac, lavender and purple. Counterpoised to these flashy
dandies we are offering an assortment of choice muscari whose quiet charm, softer colours and
persistent flowering make them no less effective in the winter and spring garden. Standouts among
this group are the deliciously scented duo, M. m
uscarimi and M. macrocarpum and the striking
and little known tassel-hyacith, M. weissii. While it has its devotees, many gardeners are unaware
of the qualities of the large and diverse tribe of "onions", known as alliums. We have fallen in
love with these and list a handsome set of contenders, from the spectacular, brilliantly surreal,
Allium schubertii down to the dusky-pink, metallic-starred, much stouter, but equally arresting, A.
nevskianum. It's a feast of fancy and we reckon, dear customer, you have never had it so good!
Kind regards
Marcus Harvey
All bulbs are subject to crop and are mainly in small numbers - very few means less than 20.
Notes and Ramblings 2012
I've just been looking over old catalogues that I have accumulated over the years. It's a "double the pleasure"
experience. One revisits the joys of discovery and the fun of choosing particular plants that these lists bring.
And then some of them become touchstones, not just reference material, but markers on the journey that
has become one's gardening adventure. "Did he offer that back then? Why didn't I get it? Good God!
You'd never see that around today." I bet we've all had these sorts of conversations with ourselves and
ruminated on the possibility of obtaining that Holy Grail we missed or replacing a lost treasure. It's almost as
pleasurable as the gardening itself! All that speculation, all that planning, all that hope - such a precious and
fragile thing that none of us can live without.
There are some great catalogue writers; Dan Hinkley manages to imbue his intelligent observation and
practical commonsense with all the excitement of a plant hunting travelogue. Farrer's high-flown, and at
times, too purple prose isn't everyone's cup of tea but the virtuosity of his use of descriptive and evocative
language is often breathtaking. However, my absolute first choice is the recently departed Scottish plant
hunter Jim Archibald.
For the last 20 years Jim and his wife, Jenny sent out to every corner of the world their seed catalogue.
It always came unadorned, on A4, double-sided, plain white paper. No pictures, no drawings, just
word descriptions, collection numbers, people and place names. It was The Bible to plant collectors, a
compendium of a lifetime of plant hunting journeys and a cornucopia of dream plants. Jim could write the
horticultural equivalent of the "20 second grab". But it was his preambles I looked forward to the most. He
wrote on many subjects. His observations were pithy and irreverent but never boring, and often insightful.
In 2001 in a piece entitled, Seller of Dreams, he wrote, "We are the sellers of dreams. We sell dreams to
ourselves and hope to pay for their reality by work and knowledge. We sell dreams to you. What are seeds
but dreams in packets?"
New Book Releases for 2010-2012
Galanthomania Hanneke van Dijk (Terra Lannoo : 2011)
This new book on galanthus by Hanneke van Dijk, which is an extension of her earlier book, Sneeuwklokjes, explores the human world of snowdrop collecting as well as the plants. Almost half the book is given to pen and picture portraits of some of the most prominent galanthophiles and this works well. Her classification scheme based on flower shape and markings however does not and is full of ambiguities. That said, this book is very well designed, with over 500 evenly spread cultivar pictures and loads of quirky and informative observations, and a charming and valuable addition to the snowdrop scene.
Bulbs of Greece (a Field Guide to the) Christopher Grey-Wilson (AGS : 2010)
A comprehensive guide to all the bulbs of Greece with simple descriptions and identification
keys. Its superb colour photographs taken in the field provide valuable plant association and planting
information. Can be used both as a reference or a field guide. Many of the plants featured can be found
in my catalogues.
Crocuses : a Complete Guide to the Genus Janis Ruksans (Timber Press : 2011)
Will be available early in the New Year. A long time in the making and crocus are his first love so, if his
first effort is anything to go by, this should be excellent. I'll be queuing up!
Both available through Florilegium Bookstore in the Glebe, Sydney,
http://www.florilegium.com.au
Mr M Harvey
400 Huon Road
South Hobart, Tas. 7004
Ph: (03) 6224 0770 or
(03) 6223 1608
email: hillview400@hotmail.com
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