When excavated, the rustic villa of L. Crassius Tertius at Oplontis showed no evidence of the existence of a garden at the time of the eruption at Vesuvius, but an abundance of carbonized plant remains within the villa itself yielded significant information about the variety of crops raised on land nearby. In 1980 at Boscoreale, the author also excavated a farmland site attached to a villa situated within an officially designated archaeological zone. She describes the finds and their identification by scanning electron microscopy and other techniques, and by analysis of casts of tree roots, evidencing here as well diversification of crops, especially the juxtaposition of fruit trees and vineyards. Another, very luxurious villa at Oplontis (believed to have belonged to Poppaea, Emperor Nero's wife) was excavated and 13 formal gardens brought to light. Each feature is described in detail. A city villa at Pompeii revealed magnificently painted garden walls and fountains. -- AATA