The Celebrated Gardens of Historic Roswell
Roswell, Georgia – Roswell has several beautiful and unique gardens that draw visitors. From the Chattahoochee Nature Center to Roswell’s historic homes’ gardens, the area is in full bloom.
The Chattahoochee Nature Center is a great place to begin your tour. It is an environmental sanctuary encompassing 30 species of wildlife and 127 acres of plants and gardens. The Greenroof Garden depicts the natural habitat found in the granite outcroppings of Georgia and is filled with unusual and rare plants. The Unity Garden grows fresh vegetables, fruits culinary herbs, flowers, and supplies more than five tons of fresh produce annually to North Fulton Community Charities food pantry. The Native Gardens and Butterfly Garden are two other favorites at the Chattahoochee Nature Center.
Plan a date night on the river. Take a 2 ½ hour guided canoe trip on the Chattahoochee River with experienced naturalists and then come back to make s’mores over an open fire. Check the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Canoe Programs to see when the next available trip is. These are popular during the summertime, so make sure to reserve your spot.
Just a short drive away from the Chattahoochee Nature Center is Barrington Hall, home of Roswell co-founder Barrington King. The informal West Garden and the formal East Garden have been restored through the Historic Landscape and Garden Grant from The Roswell Garden Club. Restoration documentation is gathered from published books and family letters. Visitors enjoy viewing “a large bed of sweet lavender,” “snowballs,” and “Cape Jasmine as tall as the tallest man,” in the West Garden. The East Garden, a formal boxwood garden, is the only antebellum garden open to the public in Metro Atlanta. It was created by the original owner Catherine King and has an historic daffodil and dahlia collection, antique roses, heirloom perennials, a native scuppernong arbor walk, and remnant plants.
Bulloch Hall is home to a lovely demonstration garden. Mittie Bulloch grew up at Bulloch Hall and married Theodore Roosevelt here in 1853. This garden is maintained by the North Fulton Master Gardeners and includes: a Children’s Garden, a Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden, a Rose and Perennial Garden, and an Herb Garden. It is also fascinating to learn about the Osage Orange trees, used by the Osage Indians.
In 1838, Archibald and Anne Smith moved from Coastal Georgia to help settle “The Colony” of Roswell. Their plantation style house and its ten outbuildings sit on a large wooded site that once was part of a 300-acre cotton farm. The gardens were planted by generations of the same family. Visitors can see the Rose Garden featuring “Heirloom Roses” that are over 100 years old and the Terraced Gardens featuring heirloom hydrangeas. Other gardens of interest include a butterfly garden, an herb garden, and a vegetable garden. Visitors can also learn about the 39 intriguing lamp posts that are scattered around the Archibald Smith Plantation Home.
The historic home offers tours that begin on the hour so make a day of it and take a tour of each of the homes and enjoy the gardens along the way.
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Media Contact: Danielle Purdie
Phone: 770-640-3253
Email: dpurdie@roswellgov.com