Root House Gardens
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The Root House was built circa 1845 for Hannah and William Root, early settlers of Marietta. William was one of Marietta’s earliest merchants and its first druggist. Born in Philadelphia in 1815, William moved to Marietta in August 1839 to open a drug/mercantile store on the Marietta Square. William would have likely used many herbs from his personal garden in his pharmacy.
The gardens at the William Root House have been reconstructed to reflect the gardening practices of the mid-19th century. All of the vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, decorative flowers, and blooming shrubs found in the garden today were researched for availability in Georgia during the 1860s. Homes like the Root House typically had three distinct gardens: an ornamental garden in front of the house with flowers and shrubs, a kitchen garden near the cookhouse with culinary and medicinal herbs, and a vegetable garden at the back of the property. We deeply committed to sustainable gardening practices. We prioritize soil improvement by adding organic humus compost to enhance mycorrhizal fungi and microbial activity. Our approach to pest control is minimal. We plant borage to attract beneficial insects, promoting natural pest control. We conserve moisture with pine straw and support local ecosystems by using native plants like milkweed, cardinal flower, baptisia, columbine, and coneflowers to support insects, pollinators and birds. Our garden is a Certified Butterfly Garden with a focus on providing host and nectar plants for butterflies and ensuring succession blooms for extended nectar availability. The Root House Gardens have been certified as a state-designated Agritourism Site by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. |
Agritourism Site
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The Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program connects UGA Extension, plant enthusiasts, and communities across the state. Since 1990, the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County have managed the Root House gardens as one of their many and varied gardening projects. Dedicated volunteer gardeners demonstrate to visitors the importance of heirloom gardening.
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