Roman gardens

**Influences on Roman Gardens:**
– Roman gardening influenced by Egyptian and Persian techniques.
– Persian gardens organized around rills influenced Roman gardens.
– Greeks introduced rills to Romans.
– Persian gardens developed due to an arid climate.
– Alexander the Great brought new plants to Western Asia.

**Uses of Roman Gardens:**
– Kitchen gardens for lower-class Romans.
– Gardens were part of every farm in Ancient Latium.
– Influence of Egyptian, Persian, and Greek gardens on Roman horticulture.
– Villa and palatial pleasure gardens were developed.
– Public parks and recreational spaces were created.

**Types and Places for Roman Gardens:**
– Domus: townhouse with atrium, garden, or open courtyard.
– Roman villa: country house for the wealthy with elaborate gardens.
– Villa rustica: countryside villa with large-scale gardens.
– Imperial gardens: reserved for imperial families, extravagant.
– Non-residential gardens: public use or dedicated to people after the owner’s death.

**Design Elements of Roman Gardens:**
– Roman gardens divided into enclosed and open types.
– Basic elements include water features, pergolas, and peristyles.
– Different types like pleasure gardens, peristyle gardens, and terrace gardens.
– Specific features like xystus, ambulation, and gestation.
– Getty Villa recreates upscale Roman garden elements.

**Plants in Roman Gardens:**
– Variety of plants from flowering plants to herbs and trees.
– Popular plants like pine trees, roses, cypress, rosemary, and mulberry trees.
– Herbs and spices cultivated included garlic, basil, coriander, parsley, and more.
– Trees like olive, chestnut, cypress, pine, almond, and mulberry were common.
– Vining plants like grapes, ivy, and other flowers were trained for decoration and shade.