White House Rose Garden, Garden by the West Wing in Washington, D.C., United States

The White House Rose Garden is a garden in Washington, D.C., United States, bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing. It measures about 125 feet by 60 feet (7,500 square feet). A central lawn is edged by flower beds; since July 2025 the lawn has been paved with diamond-patterned stone tiles from Indiana limestone quarries, while the surrounding beds remain.

The site held stables and a conservatory rose house until Edith Roosevelt created a colonial garden there during the 1902 renovation. Ellen Wilson established the Rose Garden in 1913 with landscape architect George Burnap. In 1961 Rachel Lambert Mellon redesigned it for the Kennedys, setting the central-lawn layout kept until 2020; head gardener Irvin Williams moved magnolias from the Tidal Basin at night.

The name comes from the rose plantings that have grown here for over a century and serve as a natural backdrop during important presidential appearances. The grounds sit directly beside the West Wing and are used for receptions where guests can step outside from the Oval Office.

The garden cannot be seen from public sidewalks and is only accessible during official events. Visits happen as part of White House tours, which require registration months in advance.

The phrase "Rose Garden strategy" describes presidents staying in the White House and its grounds instead of travelling the country; Jimmy Carter's early handling of the Iran hostage crisis was one. The Washington Declaration, the basis for the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, was signed here on 25 July 1994. The abstract sculpture Floor Frame by Isamu Noguchi, unveiled in November 2020, was the first work by an Asian American artist in the White House collection.