From sheep grazing and green houses to a squirrel called “Pete” and victory gardens, the White House lawn and garden has gone through many changes. The exterior of the White House is quite recognizable and static but the lawns and gardens have been influenced by different president’s desires and needs and have at times looked quite different. All The Presidents’ Gardens is a nonpartisan story about the fascinating journey of the “First Lawn” of the country.

Beginning with George Washington’s presidency and the original layout of the gardens the book follows in chronological order the different presidents and their changes to the lawn and garden. The story also examines trends and styles of the time periods and is full of illustrations and interesting facts like how the cherry blossom trees got to Washington DC, or the potential scandal about Mary Todd Lincoln and their head gardener. This narrative is a fascinating story by Marta McDowell who has also written Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life.

Christina Callison

Christina Callison has been blogging about books for the library’s website since 2006. She has read hundreds of books that include mysteries, fantasies, horror, thrillers, non-fiction, general fiction, and some science fiction. She continues with her goal of finding new books and authors to recommend.