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Twice every year, in the fall and spring, the President and the First Lady open the White House grounds to visitors for self-guided tours of the South Lawn. In the spring, cherry blossoms bloom, and the landscape is filled with stunning greenery. In the fall, trees at the White House reflect seasonal changes, providing a special opportunity for guests to admire the foliage surrounding the Executive Mansion.
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The White House Grounds began as approximately 85 acres of land chosen by George Washington and was refined and cultivated by garden-loving President Thomas Jefferson. These shifting grounds around the Executive Mansion have seen retaining walls, green houses, vegetable gardens, and beautiful flowers. Changes to the landscape came in long intervals and evolved to fit the era and the needs of
It is hard to imagine that it was something as casual as a lunch conversation between a newly elected president and an amateur gardener that gave rise to one of our nation's most iconic outdoor spaces. In this collection, Rose Garden designer Rachel Lambert Mellon explains how the grounds were so thoughtfully transformed, while others detail the White House's diverse
The outdoor spaces that surround the White House are filled with stunning botanicals and rich history.
George Washington in 1792 had set aside 85 acres for the “President’s Square,” presumably to have paddocks, sheepfolds, hay fields, meadows, and the other usual attachments to country houses, in addition to vegetable gardens to serve the table and ornamental plantings for pleasure. Washington himself had all of this at Mount Vernon and clearly deemed it appropriate to the official residence of the
John Adams was the first president to occupy the White House in 1800; one of his first additions was a vegetable garden.In 1801, Thomas Jefferson was active in planning improvements for the Executive Mansion (White House) garden, including a stone wall around the house. He also directed the planting of numerous trees between 1802 and 1806.While the White House was being rebuilt
