Roman gardens

With Claire Ryley's Roman garden reconstruction cameo featuring in this programme, the Time Team website takes a look at Roman horticulture and gardening.

The Romans originally cultivated plants for practical purposes rather than for their beauty. Gardens were used to grow a variety of plants for food, medicine and religious activities. Gradually, however, more ornamental flowers, such as lilies and poppies, were cultivated and pleasure gardens became popular, particularly in large town houses and country villas. Sometimes these were set in open courtyards at the rear of houses where they were regarded as outside rooms. They could be provided with seating, dining areas, sundial, statues, ornamental fishponds and colourful wall paintings.

Both classical literature and archaeological evidence help us to reconstruct the design of Roman gardens. When the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD they brought their garden designs with them, though the range of plants that could be grown here was more restricted than on the continent, where the weather was warmer.

The kitchen garden would have been the most common type and excavation has revealed some of the vegetables grown, including celery, parsnips, peas, carrots, radishes, onion and cabbage. Formal or semi-formal and 'natural' gardens would have been added to some residences, growing violets and aquilegias, for example.

Two sites in Roman Britain have so far revealed sumptuous pleasure gardens: Fishbourne Roman Palace, and the governor's residence at Cannon Street station, London. At Fishbourne, box hedging was planted in complex geometric shapes, indicating a penchant for topiary.

Ancient sources reveal garden techniques have changed little in 2,000 years. Columella (De Re Rustica) instructs his readers to turn the soil in autumn; spend time sharpening and mending tools in winter; mix in compost, hoe beds and sow seeds in spring; and water and hoe regularly when the seedlings first appear. Magic also had its part to play, however, and gardeners were advised to sacrifice a puppy to the goddess Rubigo to prevent mildew!

For a more in-depth look at Roman Gardens, check out Roman Gardens and their Plants by Claire Ryley on the Further Reading page (information from which informed the above article).

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