Three weeks ago, first lady Melania Trump announced she would undertake a project to renovate the White House Rose Garden.
The renewal project aimed to re-imagine the garden to better reflect its 1962 design by Rachel Lambert Mellon during the Kennedy Administration. The garden of the time was approved by and later dedicated to Jacqueline Kennedy.
A couple of other views of the Rose Garden in recent years pic.twitter.com/Q9jlcW6RAe
— ☇RiotWomenn☇ (@riotwomennn) August 22, 2020
“Decades of use and necessary changes made to support the modern presidency have taken a toll on the garden and have made it more difficult to appreciate the elegant symmetry of the Mellon plan,” the White House wrote in a press release. “The refreshment of the Rose Garden will … help ensure it will thrive with improved infrastructure, better drainage and a healthier environment for plantings.”
Trump said maintaining a garden takes hard work and demonstrates “the possibility of a bright future.”
“Preserving the history and beauty of the White House and its grounds is a testament to our nation’s commitment to the care of this landscape and our dedication to American ideals, safeguarding them for our children and their children for generations to come,” she said.
Even in the most difficult times, the @WhiteHouse Rose Garden has stood as a symbol of strength & continuity. Today, it is my pleasure to announce our plans to renew & restore this iconic space so that we preserve its history & beauty for generations to come.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) July 27, 2020
The updated garden was revealed Saturday.
Excited to honor history & celebrate the future in our beautiful @WhiteHouse Rose Garden this evening. Thank you to all who helped renew this iconic & truly gorgeous space. pic.twitter.com/ggiqLkdGbw
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 22, 2020
According to C-SPAN, a new limestone pathway was laid and 10 crab apple trees were removed. The trees will be planted elsewhere around the White House grounds at some point in the future.
Adjustments were also made to improve accessibility as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Before and after photographs of newly renovated White House Rose Garden:
courtesy #Getty and @marycjordan pic.twitter.com/w6bzoNHMjC— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) August 22, 2020
The refurbished garden features the white “JFK Rose,” smaller pink roses, plus “peace” roses and the “Pope John Paul II Rose,” according to a pool report.
The White House did not release the cost of the project but said it was funded by private donations.
VIDEO: Renovated White House Rose Garden. Notable changes:
-New limestone pathways form an outer border around the grass and an inner border for the boxwood and flowers.
-10 crabapple trees were taken to the offsite to be cared for and will be replanted around WH grounds. pic.twitter.com/ibnYHfvQMY
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 22, 2020
While a garden had been on the site for years, Ellen Wilson, the first wife of Woodrow Wilson, commissioned the Rose Garden in 1913. Wilson deemed the Katherine Crab Apple Tree the signature tree of the garden at the time, according to White House archives. The trees removed this month were said to have been casting too much shade on nearby flowers.
The first lady will deliver a speech in the garden Tuesday for the Republican National Convention.
