Spring has definitely sprung here in Georgia, and I have to confess that on the days when I take a lunch break, I’m not actually eating lunch — I’m stepping outside to work in my garden for an hour or so. When I signed onto social media and saw this picture today, I laughed and thought maybe Donald Trump does the same thing.
While the president did do a little gardening on Tuesday — with a golden shovel, of course — he wasn’t just piddling around like I do every afternoon. He was making history.
Several trees that honor past presidents and first ladies are planted along the grounds of the White House, but few are as iconic as the two “Jackson Magnolias.” You’ve probably seen them outside the South Portico and didn’t even realize it. Legend has it that Andrew Jackson brought the seeds to Washington, D.C. from his home in Tennessee and planted them in honor of his wife, Rachel, after her death. However, photo documentation can only date them back to the 1860s. From the National Park Service:
Folklore tells us that these two southern magnolia trees were planted by President Andrew Jackson with seeds brought to Washington from the Hermitage, the President’s home near Nashville, Tennessee. The seeds were planted to honor the memory of Jackson’s late wife, Rachel, who had died suddenly just months prior to him assuming office. Historical photographic documentation shows that magnolias first appeared at this location near the South Portico in the 1860s, still the trees are attributed to President Jackson. In 2006, the trees were designated as Witness Trees by the National Park Service, having borne witness to many ‘significant historic and cultural events.’ The base of the trees also took the brunt of a Cessna airplane crash which targeted the White House in September 1994 and were subject to significant branch removal and pruning in December 2017.
Unfortunately, one of the trees was chopped down on Monday after arborist Peter Hart found that it had “surpassed the time of serving as an aesthetic and historic landmark due to the potential harm it may cause because of the risk of structural failure.” Hart’s report also stated that “To eliminate the risk of personal injury and/or property damage, this tree should be removed as soon as can be scheduled.”
White House Grounds superintendent Dale Haney, who appeared alongside the president today, told Fox News Digital that he hated to see the tree go, but he knew that it was time. Trump also posted on Truth Social last month that the tree was in “terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed.”
Haney is 73 years old and has worked for the White House since 1972. He also told Fox that there have been various attempts to save and support the tree since Ronald Regan’s first term.
In the old magnolia’s place, Trump planted a 12-year-old sapling that is a descendent of the original tree on Tuesday. It’s kind of cool to think that one hundred years from now, someone might be writing or reading about how the president planted it in the midst of a remarkable turning point in United States history.
President Trump plants a new descendant sapling of the historic “Jackson Magnolia.” The White House remains committed to the stewardship and preservation of its historic grounds.
“We have a beautiful tree now in the White House.” – @POTUS 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0wA8ShWye2
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 8, 2025
As for the old tree, the National Park Service will keep part of it for its archives, and the rest will be turned into wood for the Executive Residences.
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