Marta McDowell’s Fast Facts About Presidential Gardens
From The Kennedys spray-painted lawn to squirrels wreaking havoc on President Eisenhower’s golf course, read ahead for Marta McDowell’s fast facts about presidential gardens throughout history.
1. Mary Todd Lincoln’s “Manure Fund”
Mary Todd Lincoln’s gardener padded the garden fund so she could pay off her redecorating debts. The “Manure Fund” assisted with acquisition of china, crystal, wallpaper, carpets, and paint.
2. Presidential sheep?
In World War I, a herd of 20 Hampshire sheep took up residence on the South Lawn of the White House to keep the grass closely cropped. Wool was in high demand, and the wool shorn from the White House sheep was auctioned as a novelty item to benefit the American Red Cross.
3. President Theodore Roosevelt’s children brought a menagerie of pets to the White House, including youngest son Quentin’s three snakes.
After interrupting an interview with an attorney general, his father suggested Quentin wait in the next room with several Congressman. “I thought that he and the snakes would probably enliven their waiting time” wrote President Roosevelt.
4. Squirrels take over Eisenhower’s golf course
President Eisenhower worked with the United States Golf Association to install a putting green on the south side of the White House. The local population of gray squirrels wreaked havoc on the turf and had to be trapped and relocated to West Virginia. One senator started a “Save The White House Squirrels” fund. The president’s response was “No comment.”
5. Treehouses and sleepovers
President Carter also had a tree house built for his tween daughter, Amy, on the South Lawn. She was known to use it for sleepovers with friends, Secret Service oversight included.
6. The Kennedys patchy lawn
The Kennedys had the lawn’s brown patches spray-painted green by National Park Service employees before VIPs stopped by.
7. President Obama didn’t like beets
President Obama didn’t like beets, just as President George H.W. Bush didn’t like broccoli. The Obamas added a kitchen garden to the White House Grounds, filled with healthy fruits and vegetables, the hallmark of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. Slightly subversively, it included beets.
This New York Times bestseller shares the rich history of the White House grounds, revealing how the story of the garden is also the story of America.
The 18-acres surrounding the White House have been an unwitting witness to history—kings and queens have dined there, bills and treaties have been signed, and presidents have landed and retreated. Throughout it all, the grounds have remained not only beautiful, but also a powerful reflection of American trends. In All the Presidents' Gardens bestselling author Marta McDowell tells the untold history of the White House grounds with historical and contemporary photographs, vintage seeds catalogs, and rare glimpses into Presidential pastimes. History buffs will revel in the fascinating tidbits about Lincoln’s goats, Ike's putting green, Jackie's iconic roses, Amy Carter's tree house, and Trump's controversial renovations. Gardeners will enjoy the information on the plants whose favor has come and gone over the years and the gardeners who have been responsible for it all. As one head gardener put it, “What’s great about the job is that our trees, our plants, our shrubs, know nothing about politics.”