This issue of White House History looks at the evolution of White House gardens. First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, in her short time in the White House, created the first rose garden, known as the West Garden, and directed many additional improvements to the grounds. President Franklin D. Roosevelt commissioned Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to rethink the grounds with security in mind. The most recent period of critical change was 1961 63, when a major renovation was designed and supervised by Rachel Lambert Mellon. Sensitive to the past, Mrs. Mellon modernized the gardens along the old landscape lines and introduced to the White House more variety of colorful garden plants than it had ever known. When she was finished with the work, the White House was literally nestled in flowers."