The history of the Rose Garden

The White House is a symbol of the United States of America. The building and the grounds create a lasting image in the minds of visitors. This applies to tourists as well as foreign dignitaries. The White House Rose Garden is a part of that image. It creates a specific type of vision of and nature. The concept of the White House (and the idea of a botanical representation at the White House) dates back to the very beginning of the United States.




George Washington's Vision


 George Washington envisioned a botanical garden on the White House grounds.

The idea of a White House garden was forwarded by the very first president, George Washington. Envisioning a botanical garden on the site, Washington made a purchase of the land that is now the south lawn. Other than the concept of a garden, that purchase was Washington's sole contribution to the White House botanical presence. This is appropriate, though, as the White House didn't exist during Washington's tenure as president.

The First White House Gardens


 Thomas Jefferson created the first formal designs for White House gardens.
John Adams was the first president to live in the White House. It's not surprising, then, that he was the first president to order the planting of a garden. When Thomas Jefferson occupied the White House, he redesigned all the gardens and chose the location of the flower gardens himself. John Quincy Adams, though, saw to the planting of the flower gardens using the designs that had been laid out by Jefferson.


Colonial Garden Becomes a Rose Garden


 Theodore Roosevelt's, Edith, worked with the White House gardener in 1902 to design a colonial garden. In 1913, though, it was replaced by a rose garden. This was the West garden of the White House and, once Woodrow Wilson's wife, Ellen, made the change to the rose garden, it became known as "The Rose Garden." The site of that original rose garden remains the site of the White House Rose Garden today.


Italian Design


 The original rose garden was designed to resemble a 17th-century Italian garden. yellow rose in the garden image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com

When Mrs. Wilson designed the rose garden, she had in mind a 17th-century Italian garden, meaning it was essentially laid out as a pair of long hedges. These hedges bordered a walkway that was known as "the President's walk." This design, planted in 1913, lasted for almost 50 years in its original form. Even when it was redesigned, it remained a rose garden.

Kennedy Redesign


 John F. Kennedy was responsible for the current design of the rose garden. kennedy half dollar image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy redesigned the rose garden. Rather than envisioning it as a border for "the President's walk," Kennedy wanted a venue for outdoor events. Today, the garden retains Kennedy's design. That allows it to be used for formal outdoor ceremonies as it can accommodate several hundred guests. It remains one of the lasting legacies of the Kennedy presidency.


Read more: The History of the White House Rose Garden
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