This image is a photograph of a framed photograph under glass of William Martin's nursery as it appeared in 1956. Martin Road is behind the former nursery, the main road is in front of it. Part of the former nursery is known today as the Fairfield Tavern Reserve.
1872-1873 Martin Catalogue
The 1872 Martin catalogue has been used as a guide by the Heritage Gardeners for planting fruit trees, flowers and other shrubs. The catalogue informs us what plants would have been available in Otago at about the time Alexander 'Sandy' Brown and his wife Margaret, travelled from Otago to live at the Halfway House. It's unclear what year they made that journey, however, it's possible that they may have brought cuttings or rooted plants with them from the province. Scroll down for a plant list.
William Martin (1823-1905)
William Martin was born on 22 October, 1823 at Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire. He served time as a gardener with his Uncle at Corstorphine near Edinburgh, then worked at the Botanic Gardens at Edinburgh, and attended classes (including botany and Latin) at Edinburgh University. For it time he was foreman at Chilwell Hall, England. On 23 November 1847, as part of the Otago Scheme, he emigrated from Scotland aboard the Phillip Laing, arriving in Port Chalmers in Otago, New Zealand, on 15 April 1848.
The Toitu Otago Settlers Museum online biography informs that he had brought with him, a collection of seeds that he put to good use after arrival.
“He leased and cleared land around Dunedin, growing vegetables and other plants from his store of seeds. Within a short time he was able to buy 186 acres of land just beyond the Green Island bush. He planted out 10 acres as a nursery, naming it ‘Fairfield’, and leased the rest for farming. In 1850 he imported fruit trees and conifers from America. This was the first importation of exotic tree species to Otago. They were popular additions to many early gardens. He was also a member of the first Otago Horticultural Society committee in 1851. By 1872 when he issued his first catalogue, Martin’s nursery had over 600 different kinds of plants available for sale."
The Otago Daily Times, in 1905, observed that “numerous friends who visited him were sure of a warm welcome and an interesting ramble through his extensive gardens and greenhouses.”
These friends included notable botanists such as the Scottish physician, Dr William Lauder Lindsay (1820-1889) who stayed at Fairfield in 1861, Sven Berggren (1837-1917) an eminent Swedish botanist, explorer and university professor, who stayed at Fairfield in 1875 and botanist Thomas Frederic Cheeseman (1845-1923).
Fairfield was the pioneer nursery of Otago and in its heyday contained one of the largest and most eclectic private collections of plants in Australasia. The New Zealand Journal of Botany (1976) says that for a time it was more widely known and respected than the Dunedin Botanic Gardens.
William Martin bred New Zealand's first registered hybrid rhododendron, Marquis of Lothian, in about 1880. It is considered attractive for its mid-pink flowers and its smooth beige bark. By crossing Veronica lavandiana and hulkeana he produced “a very beautiful profuse-leaved and flowering variety” of Veronica, which he named V. Fairfieldi.
William Martin married twice and had several children. His grandson William Martin (1883-1975) was born at Fairfield, and became one of New Zealand’s respected field botanists, receiving the Loder Cup.
William Martin died at Fairfield on 26 November 1905 and is buried in the Green Island cemetery. Today, Martin Road at Green Island denotes the location of the former famous nursery. The suburb Fairfield is derived from his Fairfield Nursery and the Fairfield Tavern Reserve includes part of his original nursery.
Toitu Otago Settlers Museum and the National Library of New Zealand have his original catalogues in their collection. Scroll down for a list of herbaceous plants from his 1872-1873 catalogue.
References:
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1976, Vol. 14: 367-374.
The Garden: An Illustrated Weekly Journal of Gardening in All Its Branches, June 24 1893, Volume 43: 520.
The Otago Daily Times, Obituary, 27 November 1905, p10.
The Otago Daily Times, Rhodies of repute, 20 September 2014.
The Otago and Southland Early Settlers database, Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.
Special thanks to Emma Knowles, archivist at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
Herbaceous Plants, Bulbs, &c.
The plant list below is an extract from the William Martin 1872-1873 catalogue. At times the plant list may have a name or comment beside it in brackets. This is how it is published in the catalogue. Where known, we have added commonly known names for the plant at the bottom of a listing.
Acanthus Mollis
Achillia milifolia
Yarrow
Agava Americana
Century plant
Agapanthus umbrellatus
Alyssum saxtile
Golden allysum
Anenome (varieties)
Anomatheca cruenta
Freesia laxa
Aquilega (varieties)
Alstromeria pelegrina
Auriculus (stage and others)
Armeria, vugaris and alba
Thrift, Ladies cushion, Sea pink
Arabis alpine
Alpine rock cress
Arum dracunculus
Dracula’s flower, dragon arum, black arum, snake lily, stink lily
Bellis (daisy 3 varieties)
Calceoaria (varieties)
Lady's purse, slipper flower and pocketbook flower, or slipperwort
Campanula (species)
Bell flower
Convalaria majalis (lily of valley)
Convalaria multiflora (Solomon’s seal)
Comelina coelestis
Day flower, Blue spider wort
Cotyledon orbiculata
Pig's Ear or Round-leafed Navel-wort.
Chelone barbata
Chrysanthemus (varieties)
Cyclamen coum
Winter flowering cyclamen
Clyclamen hederefolium
Ivy-leaved cyclamen or sowbread
Delphinium chinense Formosa
Chinese Delphinium, Siberian Larkspur
Dianthus (pink and carnation)
Dielytra spectabilis
Bleeding Heart
Digitilis, Ivery’s spotted
Spotted foxglove
Fargium grande
Farfugium? Leopard Plant
Ferns
Galanthus nivalis
The snowdrop or common snowdrop
Geum atrosanguineum
Galdiolus in variety
Hyacinths in variety
Iris pumila
Pygmy iris, dwarf iris
Iris pavonia
Peacock iris
Iris Susiana
Mourning iris
Iris Forentina, &c.
Historic bearded iris
Lutus corniculatus
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Leucoium aestivum
Snowdrop in NZ. Summer snowflake or Loddon lily in UK.
Lilium auratum
Golden rayed lily of Japan or the goldband lily
Lilium candidum
Madonna lily
Lilium lancefolium album
White tiger lily
Lilium lancefolium Rubrum
Red tiger lily
Lilium longiflorum
Christmas lily
Lilium tigrinium
Tiger lily
Lobelia fulgens
Cardinal flower
Lupinus (varieties)
Lychnis chalcedonica
Maltese Cross
Mimulus moschatus
Common musk, monkey flower
Morina longiflora
Whorlflower
Musacaria botroides
Grape hyacinth
Myosotus palustris
Forget-me-not. Water forget-me-not
Mysosotideum nobilis
Myosotidium nobilis – Chatham Island Forget-me-not
Misembryanthemum (varieties)
Icicle plant
Narcissus Jonquilla
Narcissus double
Narcissus Campernelli
Narcissus campernelle – double yellow daffodil
Narcissus incomparabilis
Non-such daffodil
Narcissus daffodil
Narcissus double white
Oeonthera aucalus
Evening primrose
Oxalis Bowei
Bowie's Wood Sorrel, Red-flowering Oxalis
Ornithogalum sp.
Peonia double white
Peonia crimson
Peonia pink
Papaver, Orientale
Oriental Poppy
Penstemon (varieties)
Phlox (varieties)
Phygelis capensis
Cape Fushia
Phalaris (Gardeners’ garters)
Ribbon grass, reed canary grass
Phormiun tenax (varieties)
Flax
Polemonium coeruleum
Jacobs ladder
Primula vulgaris
Primula double purple
Primula yellow
Primula lilac
Primula white
Primula veris
Ranunculus acris fl. plena (varieties)
Meadow buttercup
Salvia patens
Gentian sage
Saxafraga crassifolia
Heartleaf bergenia, Siberian tea.
Saxafraga umbrosa
London pride
Sedum azoides
Yellow Mountain Saxifrage, Yellow Saxifrage
Sedum carnea (variegate)
Sedum oppositifolia
Purple Saxifrage
Sedum reflexa (links of love)
Sedum sieboldti
October Daphne
Sempervivium tectorum
Common Houseleek, Hens and Chicks
Scilla Italica
Italian squill
Scilla Siberica
Siberian squill
Scilla maritima
Spiraea filipendula
Spiraea ulmaria (varieties)
Tigridia conchiflora
Tritoma media
Red hot poker
Tritoma uvaria
Red hot poker
Tulipa Florentina
Many varieties, early, single, and double
Vallota purpurea
Scarborough Lily
Viola (varieties)
Watsonia rosea