The White House Rose Garden’s documented plantings include four named roses used in its 2020 restoration: White House Rose, JFK Rose, Pope John Paul II, and Peace Rose. The garden changed again in 2025: the National Park Service now describes a patio edged with roses, not the central lawn of the earlier design. The historical record also documents perennials, annuals, and herbs, but does not name eight distinct flowers.
Which flowers and roses are documented?
The Associated Press reported that four rose varieties were used in the 2020 restoration. The National Park Service’s account of Rachel Lambert Mellon’s design describes broader planting groups rather than additional named flowers.
- White House Rose: one of the varieties reported for the 2020 restoration.
- JFK Rose: one of the varieties reported for the 2020 restoration.
- Pope John Paul II: one of the varieties reported for the 2020 restoration.
- Peace Rose: one of the varieties reported for the 2020 restoration.
The Associated Press’s account identifies these varieties in the 2020 planting; it does not establish that all four remain in the garden after the 2025 renovation. The documented planting groups in Mellon’s design were perennials, annuals, and herbs. Those are categories, not individual flower names, so they cannot be counted as five more named flowers to make a list of eight.
How the garden’s planting and layout changed
From an early garden to the first Rose Garden
Around 1903, First Lady Edith Roosevelt had a colonial-style garden in this area. In 1913, First Lady Ellen Wilson established the first Rose Garden there with landscape architect George Burnap. The White House Historical Association’s garden history recounts these earlier phases.
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Mellon’s 1962 design
President John F. Kennedy asked Rachel Lambert Mellon to redesign the garden in 1962 for broader official use. The plan centered on a grass panel, bordered by trees and plantings of roses, perennials, annuals, and herbs. The National Park Service describes this layout in its White House Rose Garden overview. The White House Historical Association also discusses crabapple trees as part of the mixed planting plan; trees are not flowers.
The 2020 restoration
The garden reopened after a 2020 renovation. An archived White House statement said the project returned the garden to Mellon’s 1962 blueprint and improved infrastructure, utilities, and accessibility. At the reopening on August 22, 2020, First Lady Melania Trump said, “Gardens are symbols of growth and hope.” Read the archived reopening statement for the administration’s description of the work.
The 2025 patio
The National Park Service’s current description says the space was converted into a patio in 2025, with roses lining its perimeter. That means the lawn-and-border arrangement describes the historic design, not the garden’s present layout. The NPS page does not name the rose varieties currently planted around the patio.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a list of eight named flowers is not supported
The title’s number should not be mistaken for a verified inventory. The available documentation names four roses associated with the 2020 restoration and describes three additional planting categories in Mellon’s 1962 plan. It does not substantiate eight distinct flower species or cultivars, nor does it show that the 2020 roses are all still present after the 2025 redesign. A reliable answer to “What flowers are in the White House Rose Garden?” therefore depends on the date and on whether the question asks for named varieties or broad planting types.
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