#RoseGarden Okay, this is getting to me. Let’s review:
1. Jack Kennedy was the real driver of the 1961 Rose Garden renovations (not so much Jackie although she expressed profound appreciation for the volunteer work of their friend, Bunny Mellon.)

2. The “Jackie Kennedy Garden” at the East Wing of the White House was begun roughly at the same time as the Rose Garden (West Wing). It was not completed until after Kennedy’s assassination in Nov. 1963. Lady Bird Johnson renamed it as the “Jacqueline Kennedy Garden” in 1965.

3. Even historic gardens need restoration and renovation. Crabapple trees live 30-70 years max. Reportedly, many of the original crabapples have been replaced over the last 58 years. Some photos with Obama show trees with much smaller trunk diameters.

4. The new plans by Oehme Van Sweden and Perry Guillot show six trees within the boxwood parterres. This was what Bunny Mellon had proposed in discussion with Nancy Reagan regarding a planned future renovation. For whatever reason, they have not been installed (yet?)

5. Melania did not design the renovated Rose Garden. The world-renowned DC firm Oehme van Sweden designed it in conjunction with well-known NY landscape architect, Perry Guillot. The project would have had strict supervision by the NPS and White House Preservation officials.

6. The project was funded by private donors and was begun many months before the pandemic hit. August is a terrible time to install a new garden but the WH tries to do all major renovations during the August recess. This was a major rework to finish in 6 weeks!

7. No doubt the garden was choked with old roots, had an old patched up irrigation system, drainage problems (reportedly the lawn was poorly drained and unable to withstand the compaction during frequent events.) New electrical runs for lighting, etc. were placed under the walk.

8. The new limestone walkways are very similar to the 1913 design of the EAST Wing Rose Garden during the Wilson admin. (later redesigned and renamed “The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden”) and are now ADA compliant with access to the interior perimeter of the lawn from the portico.

9. There are LOTS of roses in the new garden! Many of the older plants were probably in decline from disease, too much shade, and root zone disturbance from constantly changing out seasonal color plants. The new rose varieties were selected for their historic associations.

10. The soft pastels may not be your thing, but don’t worry, they can still have gaudy colorful displays of tulips and other spring bulbs. But this is LATE SUMMER right now and honestly they did an amazing job to get that many plants blooming with an August installation.

11. The ZigZag boxwood parterres are virtually exactly what Bunny Mellon designed as shown below. I believe they may have had to replace the boxwood with blight-resistant varieties though. (Note the monochromatic design.)

12. More on seasonal color— yes, these are pastels, but the WH gardeners will change out the beds with new and appropriate seasonal color through the year. Not bad for a garden installed a few weeks ago though.

P.S. I also wish Melania would quit trying to impersonate Jacqueline Kennedy, but I am happy that the WHITE HOUSE garden staff has a freshly renewed Rose Garden with a new irrigation system, new rich garden soil, and a nice new stone perimeter path to make their work easier.

Aha... just discovered the official White House Rose Garden Landscape Report! It’s 229 pages so takes awhile to load: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/644882