Brought back to light in the late 19th century, this was one of the first gardens to be excavated applying the stratigraphic method, revealing the design of the flowerbeds and the paths winding through them.
At that time it was not yet possible to determine through specific analyses which plants had been grown in the flowerbeds. A suggestion was provided by the species depicted on the walls of the peristyle, consisting of roses, daisies, and asters, which were planted along with some highly improbable plants such as the yucca, perhaps mistaken for a species of iris. The motif of ivy winding around a reed in the shape of a sheaf of grain was also revived. The symmetry of the flowerbeds was emphasized by iron structures that reiterated their shapes and that were, obviously, draped in ivy.
