THE ROMAN GARDEN IN ENGLAND 



Oriental countries, made much of their gardens, and 

 laid them out with infinite care and arrangement. 

 They raised their flower-beds in terraces, and edged 

 them with neat box borders ; they made walks for shade, 

 and walks for sun ; planted thickets, alleys of fruit 

 trees, orchards, and Vine pergolas. They had, as a rule, 

 in larger gardens, a gestatio, a broad pathway in which 

 they were carried about in litters. They had the 

 hippodromus, a circus for exercise, which had several 

 entrances with paths leading to different parts of the 

 garden. 



It is not too much to presume that the Romans, who 

 spent their lives in our country, and build magnificent 

 villas for themselves, and brought over all the arts of 

 their country, brought, also, their methods of gardening, 

 and planted here as they planted in their villas outside 

 Rome, all the flowers, fruits and vegetables that the 

 country would produce. 



Tacitus was of the opinion that " the soil and climate 

 of England was very fit for all kinds of fruit trees, 

 except Vine and Olive ; and for all kinds of edible 

 vegetables." In this he was right but for the Vine, which 

 was planted here in the Third Century, and we know 

 of vineyards and wine made from them in the Eighth 

 Century. 



Of gardeners there was the topiarius, a fancy gardener, 

 whose main business it was to be expert on growing, 

 cutting and clipping trees. The villicus, or viridarius, 

 who was the real villa gardener, with much the same 

 duties as our gardener of to-day. The hortulanus is a 

 later term. And there was the aquarius, a slave whose 

 duty it was to see that all the garden was provided with 

 proper aqueducts, and who managed the fountains 

 which, without doubt, formed a great part in garden 

 ornament. I imagine, also, that the aquarius would 



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