How the White House Rose Garden Has Changed Over the Years

The garden featured Johnny jump-ups, daisies, and wildflowers that the first lady gathered herself, according to the White House Historical Association. The flowers were surrounded by boxwood.

Before the space was used for events and press conferences, it was designed as a formal flower garden.

Instead of round, winding paths through flowers, the garden was organized in rows with a lawn in the center.

Mellon wrote that President John F. Kennedy became interested in revamping the Rose Garden after returning from a trip to Europe.

“The President had noted that the White House had no garden equal in quality or attractiveness to the gardens that he had seen and in which he had been entertained in Europe,” she wrote for the White House Historical Association. “There he had recognized the importance of gardens surrounding an official residence and their appeal to the sensibilities of all people.”

Mellon also handpicked four magnolia trees for the corners of the garden, inspired by the front of the Frick in New York City.

Though Tricia was the eighth daughter of a president to hold a wedding at the White House, hers was the first outdoor wedding ceremony.

The reception was then held in the East Room.

The Oval Office is adjacent to the Rose Garden, making it easy for presidents to step outside for some fresh air.

President Bill Clinton named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden in 1993.

President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden met with James Crowley and Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in the Rose Garden in 2009.

Updates included improved technology for hosting events and new limestone walkways bordering the lawn.

Around 12 crab apple trees from the Kennedy administration were removed and replanted elsewhere on the grounds. The small seating area was also removed and replaced with an art installation.

Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in March that he planned to renovate the Rose Garden because the grass lawn “just doesn’t work” for large events.

Appearing to take inspiration from the outdoor terrace at his Mar-a-Lago club, the president had the grass paved over with stone tiles and added table seating shaded by yellow and white striped umbrellas.

In a statement to The Hill on Wednesday, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle referred to the space as “The Rose Garden Club” and called it “the hottest place to be in Washington, or perhaps the world.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Designs on the tiles included the presidential seal in gold, a favorite of Trump’s, and American flag-inspired stars and stripes.