Updated 2025-09-04T19:30:54Z
- Ellen Wilson, the wife of Woodrow Wilson, established the Rose Garden in 1913.
- It was redesigned under the Kennedy administration and has hosted many historic events.
- Donald Trump paved over the grass in the Rose Garden, turning it into a patio space.
Before the White House had a Rose Garden, the land was used for horse stables.
Under the tutelage of first ladies throughout history, the garden was built and transformed into a colorful landscape with a well-manicured event space.
In one of many decor changes President Donald Trump has made during his second non-consecutive term, the White House unveiled a redesigned Rose Garden in August featuring a patio space made of stone tiles.
Here's how the Rose Garden has changed over the years.
Before the Rose Garden, Edith Roosevelt established the Colonial Garden in 1902.
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.
Ellen Wilson replaced the Colonial Garden with the White House Rose Garden in 1913.
Before the space was used for events and press conferences, it was designed as a formal flower garden.
The Rose Garden was designed by George E. Burnap and Beatrix Farrand.
Instead of round, winding paths through flowers, the garden was organized in rows with a lawn in the center.
In 1961, designer Rachel Lambert Mellon reimagined the garden.
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 added Katherine crab apple trees, perennials, annuals, green pillow, and of course, roses.
Mellon also handpicked four magnolia trees for the corners of the garden, inspired by the front of the Frick in New York City.
More flowers were added to the Rose Garden for the wedding of President Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia and Edward Finch Cox in 1971.
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 wedding was attended by 400 guests.
The reception was then held in the East Room.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan playfully fed some squirrels burrowed in the garden's potted plants.
The Oval Office is adjacent to the Rose Garden, making it easy for presidents to step outside for some fresh air.
Over the years, many historic events occurred in the Rose Garden.
President Bill Clinton named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden in 1993.
The garden also once featured a small seating area where presidents occasionally held meetings or ate lunch.
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.
In 2020, Melania Trump unveiled the new Rose Garden design.
Updates included improved technology for hosting events and new limestone walkways bordering the lawn.
The magnolias remained, but she also added roses in white and pastel shades.
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.
In August, President Donald Trump unveiled a redesigned Rose Garden featuring a stone patio and tables.
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.
The new tiles include nods to the office of the president.
Designs on the tiles included the presidential seal in gold, a favorite of Trump's, and American flag-inspired stars and stripes.
