0 British Gardens through the Roman Years

British Gardens through the Roman Years - To secure a good picture of Romano-British gardens of antiquity, we need to consider their prototypes in Italy. Horticulture in primitive Italy, just as other countries, was at its beginning merely designed for practical purposes.

British Gardens through the Roman Years

Gradually the Latin word hortus, applied dads and moms of republican simplicity with a field of vegetables, was stretched, at the time of the luxurious emperors, to denote pleasure gardens from the utmost magnificence. Therein latter period, the cause of any new sort of Roman art, including garden architecture, was Greece, which in turn had received inspiration from Egypt, Persia, and Assyria.

Egyptian gardens are classified as the earliest of which definite records still exist. Pictures and inscriptions, dating far back in the centuries before Christ, show that a majority of Egyptian dwellings were built around several courtyards containing vegetation both useful and ornamental. Originally, a row of trees over the inner wall from the building shaded it along with the enclosed quadrangle. Later, the tree trunks gave place to solid columns, and also the overhanging branches to projecting rafters, which resulted in a general effect foreshadowing the Greek peristyle (columned porch or colonnade) and monastic cloisters.




Religious significance was placed on nearly every feature in pre-Christian gardens, and tree worship was observed in all ancient countries. One of several favorites were the pine, the emblem of Cybele, the oak of Jupiter, the laurel of Apollo, the myrtle of Venus, the poplar of Hercules, and also the olive of Minerva.

The cypress have also been grown in most places. Yew, although common, was not much esteemed; instead, juniper and rosemary were often for topiary work. Box, too, was frequently clipped, after which it, as now, considered the most effective shrub for edgings.

The rose, the lily, and also the violet were very distinguished flowers of antiquity, nevertheless the narcissus, anemone, gladiolus, iris, poppy, amaranth, immortelle, verbena, periwinkle, and crocus were also cultivated and admired.

Many flowerless plants like basil, Origanum majorana, and thyme were grown for their fragrance, while acanthus was welcome out of its beautiful foliage. Ivy covered the walls or was educated to form garlands between trees and columns.