04/14/2026
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As just sixteen years old, Robert Redmond began working a summer job with the National Park Service on the White House Grounds. So began a long career as a White House gardener and florist that spanned forty years and six presidencies!
His responsibilities included planting and mowing the lawn, arranging bouquets for White House events, caring for the plants and trees throughout the gardens and grounds, and shopping at local flower markets for special varieties. In today’s photo, he inspects flowers in the Rose Garden during Harry S. Truman’s presidency.
After the retirement of his mentor William Saunders Reeves in 1945, Redmond was promoted to head gardener, overseeing about a dozen gardeners and florists from the bouquet room at the White House. In addition to the usual duties of a gardener, he also managed the Kennedy ponies, Macaroni and Tex, while they grazed on the lawn and, to his chagrin, nipped off the heads of flowers. In total, Robert Redmond worked at the White House from 1923-1963, leaving behind a lasting floral legacy.
White House workers are the backbone of the People's House. Stay tuned as each month we examine a different role, the incredible individuals who have held them, and their influence on White House history.
Credit: Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum / NARA
