The White House Grounds are the oldest continually maintained landscape in the United States. Yesterday and today, thousands of visitors where able to tour the grounds as part of the The White House Fall Garden Tours 2011.
Washington, DC, residents Marc Yesberger and his husband Steve Leraris enjoyed their first ever visit to the gardens. "We have lived in the District for more than 20 years but had never previously toured the gardens," said Yesberger. "It was a wonderful experience."
John Adams, the first President to reside in the White House, requested that a garden be planted before his arrival in 1800. Unfortunately, he was defeated shortly thereafter. It would not be until the 1820s that formal White House gardening program was formally established by John Quincy Adams.
As described in the official program, the White House landscape has been enhanced over the years by a series of landscape architects to seem idealistically natural. These collaborative efforts have crated a setting that gives the impression of much more of a rural landscape than the urban reality.
Since the 1870s, most Presidents have planted a commemorative tree while they were in office. Their variations in species and generation represent the historical flow of the President's House. The White House gardens are constantly growing and adapting, just like the seat of government they encompass.
The White House's most famous gardens are the Rose Garden that is between the Residence and the West Wing, and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden located between the Residence and the East Wing.
In recent years, much attention has been given to the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn of the White House. The four-season herb, fruit and vegetable garden was planned in March 20, 2009, by First Lady Michelle Obama and two dozen local school children.
Annual public tours of the White House gardens are held one weekend each spring (April) and fall (October). The tours are free and tickets are distributed by the National Park Service on a on a first-come, first-served basis each day of the tour.
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