ENBy example of Vilnius, this article substantiates the thesis that active involvement of local and foreign commercial gardeners made a decisive impact on turning horticulture and floriculture into a universal phenomenon that prevailed in both residential interiors and public spaces in the 19th and early 20th century. The intensity and peculiarity of commercial gardening are demonstrated by drawing on evidence found in advertisements in the newspapers of the time, plant catalogues, popular horticultural and floricultural publications, archival documents and iconographic sources. Keywords: Vilnius, commercial gardening, city gardeners, interiors, city parks and squares.