What White House Gardens Say about America
2023-12-26
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1The earliest presidents who lived in the White House did not want the large outdoor areas that the monarchs of Europe might enjoy.
2Marta McDowell is writer of All the Presidents' Gardens.
3She said, "You can understand that, given our democratic form of government."
4But she said she thinks that a visit to the home of the British royal family, Buckingham Palace, caused President John Kennedy to expand the White House gardens.
5From the start, presidents and their families influenced the 7.2 hectares of open space in the front and back of the White House differently.
6Their choices often showed their values and traditions of their day.
7McDowell said that the White House is "really their home" while they are in office.
8She added that as long as they work with the historic plan of the gardens the National Park Service tries to meet the desires of the administration.
9The National Park Service oversees the gardens.
10John Quincy Adams, America's sixth president, worked in the garden.
11Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, took down glass structures called greenhouses that were first built by James Buchanan, the 15th president, in the 1850s.
12John Kennedy, the 35th president, redesigned one garden called the Rose Garden in the 1960s.
13First lady Michelle Obama, wife of the 44th president, built a food garden using plants and seeds from the home of Thomas Jefferson, the third president.
14Today, the garden has more than 50 kinds of vegetables.
15Pierre L'Enfant was the city planner and architect for America's first president, George Washington.
16At first, he planned for a 30-hectare presidential garden.
17However, as a believer in small government, Jefferson reduced the White House grounds to just 2 hectares.
18The gardens were expanded to the current 7.2 hectares
19Jefferson, like many Americans who had just freed themselves from a British monarch, was concerned about creating a new king.
20"Avoid palaces and gardens of palaces," William Thornton, a Washington city representative warned.
21"If you build a palace with gardens, I will find you a king."
22Over time, several different plants and flowers were planted at the White House.
23They include roses which have been around since at least Jefferson's time.
24They also include peonies, wanted by first lady first lady Nancy Reagan of the 40th president, and Texas bluebells, asked for by first lady Laura Bush of the 43rd president.
25Oak and elm trees have also been on the White House grounds almost since the beginning.
26One tree, a chestnut oak southeast of the White House, might be the oldest tree on the grounds.
27The White House says it has been around since 1800.
28McDowell says the White House gardens represent gardening tradition over time.
29First it followed designs in Europe, and then it was shaped by local traditions, the area, and the climate.
30But she said, "It's not that they are always the leader.
31In fact, sometimes they're following."
32The White house grounds were open to the public up until 1923.
33That was when Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, permanently closed them to unapproved visitors.
34These days, the White House Garden planned visits for the public are usually available for the public twice a year, one weekend in the spring and again in autumn.
35McDowell said, "They are full of tradition. They're full of beauty."
36I'm Gregory Stachel.
1The earliest presidents who lived in the White House did not want the large outdoor areas that the monarchs of Europe might enjoy. 2Marta McDowell is writer of All the Presidents' Gardens. She said, "You can understand that, given our democratic form of government." But she said she thinks that a visit to the home of the British royal family, Buckingham Palace, caused President John Kennedy to expand the White House gardens. 3From the start, presidents and their families influenced the 7.2 hectares of open space in the front and back of the White House differently. Their choices often showed their values and traditions of their day. 4McDowell said that the White House is "really their home" while they are in office. She added that as long as they work with the historic plan of the gardens the National Park Service tries to meet the desires of the administration. The National Park Service oversees the gardens. 5John Quincy Adams, America's sixth president, worked in the garden. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, took down glass structures called greenhouses that were first built by James Buchanan, the 15th president, in the 1850s. 6John Kennedy, the 35th president, redesigned one garden called the Rose Garden in the 1960s. First lady Michelle Obama, wife of the 44th president, built a food garden using plants and seeds from the home of Thomas Jefferson, the third president. Today, the garden has more than 50 kinds of vegetables. 7Pierre L'Enfant was the city planner and architect for America's first president, George Washington. At first, he planned for a 30-hectare presidential garden. However, as a believer in small government, Jefferson reduced the White House grounds to just 2 hectares. The gardens were expanded to the current 7.2 hectares 8Jefferson, like many Americans who had just freed themselves from a British monarch, was concerned about creating a new king. 9"Avoid palaces and gardens of palaces," William Thornton, a Washington city representative warned. "If you build a palace with gardens, I will find you a king." 10Over time, several different plants and flowers were planted at the White House. They include roses which have been around since at least Jefferson's time. They also include peonies, wanted by first lady first lady Nancy Reagan of the 40th president, and Texas bluebells, asked for by first lady Laura Bush of the 43rd president. 11Oak and elm trees have also been on the White House grounds almost since the beginning. One tree, a chestnut oak southeast of the White House, might be the oldest tree on the grounds. The White House says it has been around since 1800. 12McDowell says the White House gardens represent gardening tradition over time. First it followed designs in Europe, and then it was shaped by local traditions, the area, and the climate. 13But she said, "It's not that they are always the leader. In fact, sometimes they're following." 14The White house grounds were open to the public up until 1923. That was when Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, permanently closed them to unapproved visitors. 15These days, the White House Garden planned visits for the public are usually available for the public twice a year, one weekend in the spring and again in autumn. 16McDowell said, "They are full of tradition. They're full of beauty." 17I'm Gregory Stachel. 18Dora Mekouar reported this story for Voice of America. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21monarch - n. a person (such as a king or queen) who rules a kingdom or empire 22garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown 23architect - n. a person who designs buildings 24king - n. a male ruler of a country who usually inherits his position and rules for life 25palace - n. the official home of a king, queen, or president