Petition calls for Jill [& Doug] to undo changes to White House Rose Garden

[SheltieLover]

https://www.localmemphis.com/mobile/article/news/nation-world/petition-undo-white-house-rose-garden-changes/507-0fdd8918-99a1-4642-bbac-a665d9ccd4ef

The petition asks Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff to "take this on" and restore the garden to Jackie Kennedy's original design.

WASHINGTON — A petition with more than 41,000 signatures is calling on first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff to undo changes former first lady Melania Trump made to the White House's Rose Garden.

"In 2019, [Malaria T***p] had the cherry trees, a gift from Japan, removed as well as the rest of the foliage and replaced with a boring tribute to herself," the Change.org petition reads. "Jackie's legacy was ripped away from Americans who remembered all that the Kennedy's meant to us."

The petition asks Biden and Emhoff to "take this on" and restore the garden to Jackie Kennedy's original design. The Rose Garden, which was originally completed in 1962, is famous for its close proximity to the Oval Office.

HELL YES!!!

Link:

https://www.change.org/p/dr-jill-biden-restore-jackie-kennedy-s-rose-garden

Let's support the removal of a huge stain!

[JI7]

1. The petition is stupid but I think there was already indication they might do something

to change it again.

[dsc]

2. If they do, I hope they do a better job than I would

I might be the only person who would do worse than Melania did.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Not sure about going back to the "original design" but...

I'm sure it could be vastly improved with a little effort. It used to be such a beautiful adjunct to the White House grounds. The former occupants turned it into some corporate patio.

[Phoenix61]

4. It should be a butterfly and bee garden.

Use native plants and show you can have an elegant garden and support water conservation measures and local birds and bees.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Good idea

[XanaDUer2]

6. Wonderful!

I'm disgusted by what she did

[SheltieLover]

11. I'm disgusted by malaria herself.

[Ms. Toad]

7. While I don't particularly care for the new design - this is mostly nonsense.

The trees removed were crabapple, not cherry.
The trees were not gifts from Japan (those are cherry trees elsewhere in DC)
The trees planted by Jackie Kennedy have already been replaced at least twice.

#factsmatter

[Raine]

8. I agree. I'm not crazy about the design but I believe changes were approved by the park service.

Also I think some of the changes were walkways to make the area more wheelchair accessible.

[Ms. Toad]

15. I believe that is correct.

[Rhiannon12866]

9. K&R! Thanks! Signed and passed on!

[SheltieLover]

12. Thx!

[former9thward]

10. Why would Doug Emhoff have anything to do with it?

He does not live there and has nothing to do with it.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

13. Signed & shared. Thank you, Sheltie.

Consider cross-posting in the Gardening group?

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

14. Ah, I should have read the petition first. As others have said,

it's full of inaccuracies. Also, I don't believe the Kennedy/Mellon design was sacrosanct, though I don't care for the shopping mall blandness of the new design.

I agree pollinator & native plants could be incorporated, though due to it being an event space, it's not the best place for such a garden. Other spots on the WH grounds would be more appropriate. I would like to see crabapples used again, and would prefer it more floriferous, in general. I do prefer a soft color scheme to the harsh reds & yellows of old.

Two worthwhile articles on the Trump changes (though I doubt either of them were much involved.

Rose Garden Designer Bunny Mellon Would've Been 'Greatly Disappointed' With Melania Trump's Changes

The Full Story Behind the Controversial Rose Garden Redesign