Practically speaking, pavement is a common choice for a heavily trafficked outdoor area in a mid-Atlantic climate. “We get heavy thunderstorms throughout the warm season and rain during the colder months,” says Bell Design Inc president Robert J. Bell, a landscape architect based in Washington, DC. Bell also works extensively in Palm Beach, Florida, and has a good sense of what the goals and pitfalls are in terms of Trump’s proposed changes to the garden. “Anyone who has walked on spongy turf in formal shoes knows that queasy feeling you get when you’re not sure if you’re going to sink into a soft patch,” Bell says.

What is “Mar-a-Lago Style”?

We don’t know the extent to which Mar-a-Lago’s design aesthetic will inform the Rose Garden renovations beyond what is referenced by the New York Times report, but according to Miami interior designer and founder of IV Atelier, Irena Viitiuk, Mar-a-Lago–inspired design doesn’t necessarily mean directly replicating the private club and spa’s particular brand of extravagance. Instead, she says, the White House Rose Garden could selectively embrace sophisticated hardscaping techniques, maybe using limestone or bluestone, which is more elegant, carefully chosen landscaping, and subtle nods to historical motifs.

Mar-a-Lago style can be thought of as a particular look typically found in high-end Florida estates and private golf clubs. “It’s a blend of Mediterranean revival with hints of Palm Beach, drenched in gold finishes, grand chandeliers, patterned floors, heavy drapery, and plenty of oversized everything,” says Angie Kreller, an interior designer at Yabby. For her, the Mar-a-Lago aesthetic leans maximalist and embraces the theatrical, and while it has historical European influences, it is “mashed together in a way that feels more about impact than restraint,” she adds.

A 2015 photo of the tiled patio at Mar-a-Lago

Photo: Mary Jordan/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Did Trump redesign the White House Rose Garden in his first term?

Melania Trump spearheaded a restoration of the White House Rose Garden with landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden during Trump’s first term. The renovations were controversial and drew backlash, leading to a petition that called for the changes to be reversed. As Paulus points out, the White House Rose Garden has undergone several renovations since it was originally created in 1903 by first lady Edith Roosevelt. “The first major redesign was by well-known garden designer Rachel ‘Bunny’ Mellon during the Kennedy administration,” says Paulus, who adds that Mellon’s design included the large central grass panel.