White House Rose Garden

The White House Rose Garden is a garden, which is prior to the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House. The garden is about 38 meters long and 18 meters wide. The garden is the counterpart of the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on the east side of the White House Complex.

Design and horticulture

The first Rose Garden was created by Ellen Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson, on the grounds of a former colonial garden in 1913. In 1961, during the administration of John F. Kennedy, the garden of Rachel Lambert Mellon has been redesigned. Mellon created a place with a more defined central lawn umranded by flower beds that were planted in the French style, but mostly with American plants. The present garden follows a design by Mellon. Each flower is planted with a series of ' Katherine' ornamental apple trees and winter Linden, bounded by low, diamond-shaped thyme hedges. The outer edge of the flowerbed on the central lawn is edged with boxwood. The four corners are underlined by tulip magnolias, the Mellon found on the Tidal Basin. Roses are the main flowers in the garden and include a large number of Queen Elizabeth roses the hybrid teas ' Pascali ', ' Pat Nixon ', and 'King 's Ransom '. The shrub rose ' Nevada' complements the overall look with a cool white. Many seasonal flowers add almost all year round color. For the spring daffodils, Fritillaria, grape hyacinths, tulips, bluebells and blue stars are planted. For the summer annually changing annuals are sown. In autumn bring chrysanthemums and flowering kale color until spring.

Official and informal use

The rose garden was used for events since its installation in the early 20th century. President Wilson used the garden for informal Q & A sessions with the press, President Hoover began the tradition here to receive prominent citizens and to be photographed with them. Calvin Coolidge used the garden for the public disclosure of political and personnel decisions. President John F. Kennedy received the astronauts of the Mercury program in the Rose Garden. Many press conferences of the President took place in the garden, just as the White House dinner and ceremonies. The daughter of President Richard Nixon, Tricia, married Edward F. Cox, 1971 at the Rose Garden. In recent years, the press conferences of the President and State visits were held in the rose garden. Frequently, the American president Olympian or players of Major League invite after victories in their sports in the rose garden. George W. Bush received the Stanley Cup winner 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes, at the Rose Garden.

The phrase " Rose Garden strategy" is to remain in the White House and its grounds, rather than to travel all across the country. So, for example, were Jimmy Carter's first attempts to end the Iran hostage crisis (1979-1981), a " Rose Garden strategy" because he has held most of meetings with his closest advisers in the White House. On 25 July 1994, the peace agreement between Israel and Jordan was signed in the Rose Garden.

Safety Precautions

The White House and the surrounding grounds is a high-security zone, which is equipped with the most advanced security systems. The area is one of the best most defended the world. The following measures or devices protect the site:

• Overflight ban: No aircraft is allowed to penetrate the airspace over the White House without permission. This zone covers the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Each aircraft that is approaching the exclusion zone is recognized and observed by the radar of the National Airport. In an emergency interception jets are launched to intercept the aircraft. The National Guard also holds locally prepared anti-aircraft missiles.
• Sniper: On the roof of the White House watching the agent environment with binoculars.
• Cameras and sensors: In the whole area there are surveillance cameras and sensors.
• Security Forces: The Secret Service and the Park Police guard the area.