Compared to other civilizations, the Romans advanced the idea of gardens in more modest houses, not just palaces. In tenant houses in cities, gardens took the form of window boxes due to the lack of space. Those with private dwellings, however, first started with the basic hortus that grew mainly herbs and small amounts of produce for meals.
Spring 2023 · Torch: U.S. · GARDENS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
Rome, c. 150 BC
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A reconstruction of the garden in the Painter's House in Pompeii.
However, the Roman garden eventually evolved into the peristyle, originally a Hellenistic courtyard that the Romans transformed into an ornamental garden at the back of a house. Combining statues, water features, and plants, the peristyle would be surrounded by rooms for dining and entertainment. Where space was limited, frescos would often be painted on the walls of the colonnade surrounding the peristyle to create an illusion of an expanded garden. In country villas, gardens were expanded, with geometric beds and arrangements often contained in their own buildings apart from the main house.
The design of the Roman garden did not differ much across the Roman Empire, leading to introduction of non-native plants and the beginnings of unsustainable gardening practices.
Fresco in the House of the Marine Venus, c. Natasha Sheldon.