WASHINGTON D.C.—On Saturday, August 22, First Lady Melania Trump unveiled restorations to the White House Rose Garden.
The White House Rose Garden was established in 1913 by Ellen Wilson, on the site of the previous colonial garden of Edith Roosevelt. In 1962, the garden was largely redesigned by Rachel Lambert Mellon during the John F. Kennedy administration. It was later dedicated to Jacqueline Kennedy.
The renovations by Melania Trump are the first in nearly 60 years. The garden was worked on for three weeks, and paid for by private donations.
“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 refreshment of the Rose Garden will…help ensure it will thrive with improved infrastructure, better drainage and a healthier environment for plantings,” wrote The White House in a press release.
The renovations include a large grass center and limestone pathways. The white “JFK” rose is the main variety, and there are several pink “peace” roses and the “Pope John Paul II” rose. Additionally, 10 crabapple trees were removed because they were casting too much shade over the rest of the flowers.
Melania Trump will deliver her Republican National Convention speech from the garden on Tuesday, August 25.
