'Spring is here!' Jill Biden shares photo of Melania Trump's renovated Rose Garden as petition garners more than 75,000 signatures demanding it be changed back to its 'former glory'
Jill Biden on Friday posted a beautiful photo of the White House Rose Garden that Melania Trump controversially renovated amid calls for the first lady to restore the space to its 'former glory.'
'Spring is here at the @WhiteHouse!' Biden wrote, posting a picture of sunlight filtering over the pink and white flowers planted along the White House colonnade.
Melania Trump unveiled her renovations to the White House Rose Garden in August of last year, a project she had been working on for months.
Paid for by private donations, Trump returned the garden to its roots, honoring the original design by Bunny Mellon, made at the request of President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
Jill Biden on Friday posted a beautiful photo of the White House Rose Garden that Melania Trump controversially renovated
Jill Biden planted a tree on the North Lawn last week
Trump walks and Melania Trump are pictured after speaking during the Republican National Convention filmed in the Rose Garden in August 2020
But Melania Trump also came under criticism for removing crab apple trees originally put there during Kennedy's time, which officials said was done as they were making too much shade for other plants to grow well in the garden.
And commentators on social media bemoaned the garden's new look. Melania stuck to a pale color palette, a signature look for the former first lady, and the flowers looked small and bare compared to the brightly colored flowers that dominated the garden during the Obama administration.
White House officials said, at the time, the new plants simply needed time grow and would soon be lush and beautiful.
An online petition on change.org requests the Biden White House undo Trump's changes. It's garnered more than 75,000 signatures.
The first lady's office did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on the petition.
The South Lawn of the White House is undergoing a massive restoration project but there is no indication any changes will be made to the garden area. The work is reported to be a security and infrastructure upgrade.
Melania Trump's newly renovated Rose Garden unveiled in August 2020 - commentators bemoaned the garden's changed appearance
A photo of the Rose Garden in April 2018 before Melania's redesign; an online petition asks Jill Biden to change the garden back
Melania Trump and President Trump heading to the Rose Garden in May 2019 for the National Day of Prayer'
Melania Trump's East Wing last year declined to provide the cost of the redesign, which also included much needed updates, such as electrical upgrades for TV appearances, new walkways that are ADA accessible, and general repair work on the area.
The garden was closed for about five weeks during the renovations. The garden is popular spot for White House events - press conferences, the annual turkey pardoning, state dinners and other official events.
White is the dominate theme of the new space, including the addition of white JFK roses in honor of President Kennedy, whose envisioned a large garden outside the Oval Office.
Smatterings of pink roses and lavender flowers add a pop of color to the diamond-shaped flower beds.
The garden was designed with the presidency in mind, according to the first lady's office. The removal of a holly ledge allows a better view of the garden on the president's walk along the colonnade from the residence to the Oval Office on his daily commute.
But online commentators posted photos of the colorful tulips that dominated the space in the Obama years and decried Trump's changes as boring.
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