From Ancient Rome to Contemporary Singapore: The Evolution of Conservatories
By Grace Mitchell Tada, Associate ASLA According to Pliny, Roman Emperor Tiberius’s doctors instructed their charge to consume a fruit of the Cucurbits family each day. To grow these melon and cucumber fruits year-round on his home island of Capri, Tiberius directed construction of specularia: “[He] had raised beds made in frames upon wheels, by means of which the Cucumis were moved and exposed to the full heat of the sun; while, in winter, they were withdrawn, and placed under the protection of frames glazed with mirror-stone.” Thus begins The Conservatory: Gardens Under Glass. Illust...