This book offers a fascinating new dimension to the history of Roman society and of gardening and horticulture. The author, a classicist and archaeology with a special interest in gardening and garden history, traces the development of Roman gardens from their humble origins as vegetable patches to the sophisticated landscapes of the rich and famous at the height of the Empire. This fully illustrated study features evidence from gardens in Italy and from archaeological sites throughout the countryside with information on literature, frescoes, mosaics, sculptures and architecture to provide a vivid picture of the rich variety of Roman gardens, their common plants and exotic trees and flowers, their splendid arbors, and fanciful sculptures and mosaics. The habits of Roman gardeners, their tools and horticultural techniques and landscape designs complete this classical gardening tour of ancient Rome.