Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum here back. In nineteen o two,
Speaker 1: First Lady Edith Roosevelt, wife of President Theodore Roosevelt, took
Speaker 1: it upon herself to convert an area of the White
Speaker 1: House Grounds that once housed stables for horses and carriages
Speaker 1: into a classic colonial garden as part of the Roosevelt Renovation.
Speaker 1: Then in nineteen First Lady Ellen Louise Axon Wilson, the
Speaker 1: first wife of President Woodrow Wilson, followed her lead by
Speaker 1: replacing what had become known as the West Garden with
Speaker 1: a rose garden, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt went on
Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty five to appoint famed landscape architect Frederick
Speaker 1: Law Olmsted Jr. Son of the creator of New York
Speaker 1: Central Park, to freshen up the design of the rose Garden.
Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty one, under the direction of First Lady
Speaker 1: Jacqueline Kennedy, amateur gardenist Rachel Lambert Bunny Melon was asked
Speaker 1: to design the current garden, which led to what is
Speaker 1: known today as the Kennedy Rose Garden, adjacent to the
Speaker 1: Oval Office and cabinet room. We spoke via email with
Speaker 1: Dan Roberts, a liberal arts and history professor at the
Speaker 1: University of Richmond in Virginia who also serves as executive
Speaker 1: producer and host of the syndicated history radio program A
Speaker 1: Moment in Time. Roberts explained it was part of a
Speaker 1: general landscape redesign of the White House complex. The Rose
Speaker 1: Garden balanced the structure with the East Garden or Jacqueline
Speaker 1: Kennedy Garden on the other side of living quarters in
Speaker 1: the central and original building of the White House. This
Speaker 1: is essentially the Rose Garden we know today. So how
Speaker 1: did Bunny Melon become involved? It all began at a
Speaker 1: summer picnic at Melon's Cape Cod Beach house that included
Speaker 1: President in Missus Kennedy as guests, according to an interview
Speaker 1: Melon conducted for the White House Historical Association. In that interview,
Speaker 1: Mellon recalled hardly had the President came ashore from his
Speaker 1: boat when he suggested we sit down and discuss a
Speaker 1: garden for the White House. He and Missus Kennedy had
Speaker 1: just returned from a state visit to France, followed by
Speaker 1: stops in England and Austria. The President had noted that
Speaker 1: the White House had no garden equal in quality or
Speaker 1: attractiveness to the gardens that he had seen and in
Speaker 1: which he had been entertained in Europe. There he had
Speaker 1: recognized the importance of gardens surrounding an official residence, and
Speaker 1: there appealed to the sensibilities of all people. Melan envisioned
Speaker 1: a fifty by a hundred foot lawn that's about fifteen
Speaker 1: by thirty meters, large enough to accommodate a thousand people
Speaker 1: for ceremonial activities and receptions, and small enough to be
Speaker 1: covered by a tent flanked in all four corners by
Speaker 1: magnolia trees, and twelve foot or four meter wide borders
Speaker 1: planted with smaller trees, roses, and other flowers, including flowers
Speaker 1: used during Thomas Jefferson's period in office. The plans also
Speaker 1: called for a platform on the west end of the
Speaker 1: garden near the oval office, and a flagstone terrace on
Speaker 1: the east end to serve as a place where the
Speaker 1: president could relax and entertain guests or post small luncheons.
Speaker 1: To execute her design, Melan sought out Irvin Williams, head
Speaker 1: gardener of Washington's Kennilworth quatic gardens, and then asked Jackie
Speaker 1: to arrange for Williams to be transferred to the White
Speaker 1: House's Chief Gardener, prestigious job that he held for almost
Speaker 1: fifty years. The garden was unveiled on April nineteen sixty two,
Speaker 1: and the first ceremonial occasion held there in July of
Speaker 1: nineteen sixty two featured swearing in of Anthony Celebreezi, the
Speaker 1: former mayor of Cleveland, as the new Secretary of Health,
Speaker 1: Education and Welfare. Melon's design created the White House central
Speaker 1: lawns so familiar to today's TV viewers, according to Roberts.
Speaker 1: He said, it's surrounded by flower beds anchored by crab
Speaker 1: apple and little leaved linden trees. Hedges of thyme and
Speaker 1: boxwood are intermingled with flower beds filled with the gardens
Speaker 1: signature rose varieties Queen Elizabeth, Pascali, Pat Nixon, and King's Ransom.
Speaker 1: Blooming bulbs of john Quill, daffodils, and tulips burst into
Speaker 1: verdant color in springtime and summertime annuals paint the flower
Speaker 1: beds with rich hues until fall, when flowering kale and
Speaker 1: chrysanthemums and live in the garden with color almost until
Speaker 1: the early days of winter. While Kennedy was in office,
Speaker 1: he used the gardens to host Peace Corps volunteers before
Speaker 1: they went overseas, invited the award winning University of Arkansas
Speaker 1: choir to join him there, welcomed Algerian Premier Ahmed ben
Speaker 1: Bella with a twenty one gun salute, and greeted the
Speaker 1: astronauts of Project Mercury. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the
Speaker 1: Rose Garden also served as a dramatic backdrop as he
Speaker 1: and advisers devised a strategy to avoid a nuclear war
Speaker 1: with Russia. Today, the Rose Garden is kept as a
Speaker 1: private reserve for the president to relax, read, converse with
Speaker 1: his aids, and engage in contemplation, according to Roberts, but
Speaker 1: he added that through the years, presidents have also used
Speaker 1: the space to showcase diplomatic, social, and political events, making
Speaker 1: important public proclamations, holding press conferences, greeting significant guests, introducing
Speaker 1: political allies and appointees, rallying allies for partisan battles, and
Speaker 1: celebrating congressional and national victory. Roberts said that among some
Speaker 1: of the most memorable activities to take place there where
Speaker 1: when quote Tricia Nixon was wed to Edward F. Cox
Speaker 1: and spectacular nuptials in one and President Bill Clinton presided
Speaker 1: over the declaration of peace between Israel and Jordan. But
Speaker 1: it's not all serious stuff. He also said, one quirky
Speaker 1: tradition rears its head, or shall we say their heads
Speaker 1: in high summer. On July one, garden gnomes mysteriously appear
Speaker 1: scattered throughout the rose garden. The number of these stone
Speaker 1: characters happens to coincide with the number of living presidents,
Speaker 1: and on Monday, July, First Lady Milannia Trump's office released
Speaker 1: a statement announcing a massive renewal and enhancement of the
Speaker 1: White House Rose Garden. The accompanying report lists, as part
Speaker 1: of its mission statement quote to curate an outdoor experienced
Speaker 1: transcendent of each administration and promote design solutions that are
Speaker 1: steeped in scholarship and intellect and are reflective of meticular
Speaker 1: liss attention to narrative intent and detail. Today's episode was
Speaker 1: written by Wendy Bowman and produced by Tyler Klang. For
Speaker 1: more on this and lots of other green topics, visit
Speaker 1: how Stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff is a production of
Speaker 1: iHeart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the
Speaker 1: iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.