More from Rideau Hall today, and I'm starting with some of the many ceremonial plantings of trees by dignitaries down through the decades. This look back towards the rose garden takes in the tree in the foreground, a silver maple planted by Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Two trees are planted close by, having had been planted by the Eisenhowers in 1953. The first, planted by Mamie, is a red maple. The second shot features the leaves of a sugar maple, planted by Ike.
This view takes in two sugar maples- the larger one is still the original, planted by Bess Truman in 1947. The smaller one beyond it must be a shoot from the original tree, as it has a plaque beneath it marking it as one planted by Harry Truman at the same time.
Another tree planted here back in the day is this red oak, planted during a visit by Richard Nixon in 1972.
The manor, which has been greatly expanded from its earliest days when it was a McKay family home, is partially open to the public for tours. At present, the large fountain that stands out front has been removed, and some work is being done. It appears to be a replacement of the pipes for the fountain itself, which is due to be finished in November. Tours have been moved to an alternate entrance in the meantime.
I love the light and shadows in your tree photos!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool tradition of planting trees like that!
ReplyDeleteInteresting story. Have any US Presidents been there since Reagan?
ReplyDeleteThese trees carry history with them.
ReplyDeleteTomás.
Árvores magnificas adoro jardins e estas fotografias estão muito boas.
ReplyDeleteUm abraço continuação de boa semana.
Andarilhar
Neat to have these historical markers! Let's hope they continue to grow. :)
ReplyDeleteIf only these trees could talk, imagine the stories they could tell!
ReplyDeleteA lot of famous people planted a tree there.
ReplyDelete@Linda: thanks!
ReplyDelete@Meradeth: and it goes back more than a century.
@Linda: Clinton did. I don't know about either of the Bushes. Obama has not.
@Tomas: they do!
@Francisco: thanks!
@Halcyon: they seem to do well.
@Marleen: the one JFK planted might tell how the president aggravated his chronic back pain.
@Marianne: and continue to do so.
I like this tradition. It would be interesting to find out what happened to the original Truman tree.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the tree planting William, the world needs many more trees by whomever plants them 😊
ReplyDeleteTrees planted by important visitors are a good way to mark their visit. I sometimes wonder where this practice would end up over many years. Would there still be room for more trees?
ReplyDeleteI am sure by now there are many ceremonial trees planted there. I do hope the trees will continue to grow.
ReplyDeleteMaple trees. Why am I not surprised? Quite a history for these trees!
ReplyDelete@Janey: I would think either disease or lightning strike, but the shoot itself is doing very well.
ReplyDelete@Grace: I agree.
@Red: oh, yes, there's plenty of more room.
@Nancy: they seem to do quite well.
@Norma: there are a lot of maples and a lot of oaks to be found here. I noticed a Norway spruce planted by Boris Yeltsin during this visit.
Wonderful old trees. The building looks quite grand.
ReplyDeleteTrees are grand and it's nice there are markers telling their stories of who planted them.
ReplyDeleteI find the memorial trees most interesting and I like the connection with those folks who have gone before. Do you think that Ike and Dicky and the Gipper, et. al., actually had a hand in the planting or did they somehow pay for the trees?
ReplyDeleteThose trees have some grand foliage. It must be an impressive sight to see these memorials. And love the manor design.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to tour the whole place one day!
ReplyDeleteHow presidential. I love trees and this is a very special collection.
ReplyDelete@Denise: it is a grand building.
ReplyDelete@Bill: it is indeed. I'm still finding trees that I hadn't seen the plaque for before, and I've been there several times now.
@Lowell: the pictures suggest it's probably a couple of shovelfuls of soil around the root and that's that for the ceremonial part of it all. Gardeners must come in and tamp down the soil. It did do a strain on Kennedy's back when he planted one, but he always had back problems.
@Gemma: it's nice to see them all.
@RedPat: it's well worth making the visit.
@Lauren: the place really is a wonderful destination for a visit. I can't believe I've lived here for years and until last year never visited it.
I assume the leaves from the first tree just sort of trickle down. ;^/
ReplyDeleteLove those U.S. connections! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is one way to commemorate an event. At last the trees are there when the memory fades.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see something enduring come from ceremonial events.
ReplyDeletenice.
ReplyDeletei love that name! unique ( : this week sure has flown by thx 4 all u visits, ur awesome William ( ;
ReplyDeleteI've been through these grounds years ago. When you see how big the mature trees are, it really makes you appreciate how much time has gone by since these dignitaries have been in office! The red oak in particular. I think this is a beautiful tradition to carry on.
ReplyDeleteWendy
@Catalyst: hah!
ReplyDelete@Revrunner: there have been quite a few presidents who have done that.
@Mari: that's true.
@Kay: I agree.
@Theresa: it is.
@Beth: thank you.
@Wendy: they do impress.