Oval Office Swedish ivy

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Oval Office Swedish ivy
Obama 2012 56.jpg
Barack Obama sitting in front of the ivy
Species Plectranthus verticillatus
LocationWashington, DC

A Swedish ivy ( Plectranthus verticillatus ) plant decorated the Oval Office of the United States White House from the mid-20th century until 2025. Though a popular story attributes the plant's origins to John F. Kennedy, the exact origins of the ivy are unknown. Different presidents have used different arrangements and numbers of the Swedish ivy over the years. The plant was removed from the Oval Office during the start of Donald Trump's second presidency in 2025 and replaced with a collection of gold objects.

Contents

Plant

The plant is a Plectranthus verticillatus . It typically sat on the fireplace mantel of the Oval Office, and various pots of the ivy rotated through the office, growing in a greenhouse when they were not in use. Different presidents kept the plants in varying forms and levels of prunage, with Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter keeping a bushier plant and the ivy taking on a more pruned appearance during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. [1] There was also variance in the number of pots of the plant used, with some presidential administrations using a single pot of the plant and some using multiple pots. [1] The ivy's location on the mantel was noted as putting it directly in the president's sightline from their seat at the office's desk. [2] The plant usually sat beneath Charles Wilson Peale's presidential portrait of George Washington which hangs above the mantel. [2]

According to Dale Haney, the plant "loves the light" that it got from the window to the White House Rose Garden to the plant's left. [2] The plant was watered every morning at 7 am, was fed once a month with 20-20-20 fertilizer, and was misted once every six weeks. The top of the ivy occasionally needed to be trimmed to prevent it from blocking the view of the Washington portrait. [2]

History

The Oval Office Swedish ivy prominently visible on the mantle during a November 2024 meeting between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump, Wednesday, November 13, 2024 in the Oval Office with Susie Wiles (left) and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients (cropped).jpg
The Oval Office Swedish ivy prominently visible on the mantle during a November 2024 meeting between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Origin

The plant's exact origin is unknown. [1] According to a popular story told by Bill Clinton amongst others, the plant was originally given as a gift to President John F. Kennedy in 1961 by Thomas J. Kiernan, then the Irish ambassador to the United States. [3] Historical accounts have called this story into question, however, with archivists at the John F. Kennedy presidential library unable to verify the story and Barbara Ann Perry, a Kennedy biographer, noting that the ivy only started appearing in photos during the Gerald Ford administration. [1] [4]

Prior to the introduction of Swedish Ivy, grape ivy and philodendrons were used to decorate the mantel under Dwight Eisenhower. According to Irv Williams, who served as the Chief White House Horticulturalist, the Swedish ivy gained preference because, "You need something with a little body there on the mantel". [2]

Usage

The ivy remained in the Oval Office through every administration following its introduction to the mantel until its removal in 2025. It has been noted for being photographed alongside numerous presidents and important historical figures, such as Nelson Mandela and Yitzhak Rabin, as well as important historic events, including Ronald Reagan's meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, and Donald Trump's meeting with Joe Biden following his 2024 election win. [3]

During the Obama administration, the Swedish ivy was briefly swapped out for Cissus alata , another variety of ivy, before the original Swedish ivy was returned to the office. In Donald Trump's first term, the plant was divided into two smaller plants for display. [1] [5]

Removal

Donald Trump talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February 2025; the ivy has been replaced with gold objects. President Donald Trump talking to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Friday, 28 February 2025 at the White House.jpg
Donald Trump talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February 2025; the ivy has been replaced with gold objects.

In February 2025, during the start of his second term, US President Donald Trump removed the plant from the mantel, replacing it with a series of gold ornaments. The removal was first noticed during Trump's meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu on February 4, 2025. [3] The plant had stayed on the mantel throughout Trump's first term in office. Some writers and online users speculated that the gold objects were golf trophies, as Trump has a common reputation as a fan of the sport; however, they were confirmed by the Washington Post to be historical objects, including urns and tableware from past presidents. [1]

The White House did not initially respond to questions on the plant's whereabouts, [3] but on March 18, 2025, they confirmed it had been withdrawn to the White House greenhouse where pots of the ivy had previously been kept when not in use. [1]

Some commentators critical of Trump argued that the removal of the plant was symbolic of his presidency. [3] [1] One article wrote that the plant's removal was "emblematic of Trump's assault on the federal government," arguing that the plant had been "subjected to [Trump]'s Midas touch." [3] Columnist Maura Judkis wrote on Trump and the replacement of the ivy that "It's a metaphor — a metaphor that's corny and obvious, yes, but also needed." [1]

The plant features prominently in Nelson Shanks's presidential portrait of Bill Clinton, and a stylized, overgrown version of the plant provides the background for Kehinde Wiley's portrait of Barack Obama. [1]

Propagations

Swedish ivy has the ability to propagate from clippings of the plant that are replanted in soil. Propagations of the Oval Office Swedish ivy have historically been a common gift to White House staffers, and are highly sought after by collectors. [5] Rico Gardaphe, a former communications staffer for the Obama administration, was given a propagation of the plant and currently runs an Instagram account dedicated to the Oval Office Swedish ivy. [1]

Reactions

Architect Tyler Survant described the plant as one of the objects that had "earned the status of fixtures" in the Oval Office through reuse across administrations, alongside the Resolute desk and Oval Office grandfather clock. [6] It has been variously described as America's "most famous houseplant" and "the world's most powerful plant". [5] [3] A 1984 Time Magazine article about the plant speculatively wrote that, "No other [plant] in history has been more photographed". [2]

Dale Haney, the longtime White House horticulturist, described the plant as "amazing", emphasizing its resilience and ability to resist pests. [3] In 2022, essayist Jamie Kirkpatrick wrote on the Oval Office Swedish ivy after anonymously being gifted a propagation, writing "Swedish ivy, like its more traditional ivy cousins, represents many things, among them eternity, fidelity, commitment, and loyalty. I'd like to think that all the men and women who are gathering in the Oval Office during these difficult days can breathe in some of those very same qualities and put them to work for the common good". [4]

References

Works cited

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