Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-05-02
WHITE HOUSE GARDENS
Two Of Them Have Especial Care
OF Presidents Wives.
GROUNDS Open AT CERTAIN times
First Mrs. Wilson Remembered as Ar
dent Lover of Flowers-Some of the
Beauties That Adorn Grounds Of
National Palace.
BY Frederic j. Haskin.

BY Frederic ]. Haskin.
Washington, d. C.-Two formal lit
tie gardens close to the south portico
of the White House are known as the
gardens of the presidents wife.
The first lady of the land is always
consulted as to the gardening plans
for the entire White House grounds,
but these two gardens have been the
especial care of the wives of presi-
dents ever since Mrs. Roosevelt had
them laid out. 1t is becoming a GUS
tom for each presidents wife to give
full! expression to her taste in flowers
and landscape gardening in these
plots.
The gardens arc the more personal
to the mistress of the White House
because the public Is not allowed to
enter them. The grounds back of the
Executive Mansion are thrown open
to the public every Saturday after
noon during the summer, when the
Marine Band gives a concert. People
wander freely about the presidents
broad lawn and park and sit on the
grass under the trees.
On Easter Monday, too, the grounds
are open, this time to the children
for the annual egg rolling Forty men
are put to work after this celebration
is over, to clearn the grass Of egg
shells, papers, mangled toy rabbits,
remnants of lunch and other SOU
venirs of an exciting day.
From these occasions the public is
pretty well acquainted with the White
House lawn. But the gardens, close
to the house and bound by high
hedges, are not open. They would
scarcely survive the inspection Of a
few thousand people in an afternoon.
The gardens now are as Mrs. Will
SON left them. Mrs. Harding has
found time to put bird houses around
the White House grounds and to plant
number Of trees-only short time
ago she planted a magnolia. But she
has ordered no important changes in
the private gardens as yet.
First Signs of Life.
Just now, the gardens are beginning
to show signs of life. White narcis-
suses, pansies and pale tinted flags
are out, and a profusion of buds
promise a wonderful array of color in
few weeks.
Originally Mrs. Roosevelt planned
the two plots as colonial gardens, and
they were laid out with curving lawns
and variously shaped flower beds fill
ed with roses and hardy perennials.
The first Mrs. Wilson is remember.
ed as one Of the most ardent flower
lovers who ever lived in the White
House. When she was consulted as
to changes in the gardens she express
ed a desire to have the two plots diff
ferent in character. She had always
taken great interest IL the grounds
Of her home, and she had skilled land
scape gardeners work on the plants
for the gardens as she wished them
to be.
Mrs. Wilson did not live to see the
remodeled gardens completed. How
ever, up to n short time before her
death, she liked to sit among the
flowers.
The gardens now are as Mrs. Will
,,1n p1tI
rather marrow plots of ground, small
only in comparison TO tho spacious
ness of the White House lawns. The
east garden is laid out with q wide
border of flowers around the edge in
side the tall hedge and n large plot of
grass in the center, also bordered with
flowers. a pool in the center of the
grassy plot is the feature of this pic
turesque retreat. In the summer
goldfish swim in the pool and pink
ard white water lilies bloom on the
surface of the water.
Formal Effects Secured.
The walk between the center plot
and the margin of flowers is cut in
straight lines with rather formal eff
feet. Old stone benches and quaint
chairs to match, that have stood
around the grounds for years, are con-
vcniently placed for quiet tete-a-tetes.
A number of golf balls are some
times seen on these chairs and it is
said that the president occasionally
practices golf shots a bit in the pri-
vacy of the garden inclosure.
There are no shade trees in the east
garden. The only trees are small ever
green's artistically placed. The land
scape architect who designed the plot
for Mrs. Wilson planned to have tall
Virginia cedars used. but the expense
of obtaining them was too great and
smaller trees were substituted with
out serious change in the desired eff
feet.
The flowers of this garden are such
Gelicately colored blooms as the Dar-
win tulip, a large, pink variety; white
and pale purple iris; and later, peon-
les, larkspur, pinks, candytuft, forget
me-nots, sweet william and lavender
The cClor scheme is soft. No gay red
or yellow blossoms are admitted to