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the White HouseFLOWERS AT

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The former chief floral designer shares this rare experience and

her breathtaking work.

by Shelley Urban

Does working 18-hour days seven

days a week sound like a dream

job? It did to Laura Dowling, who

says training to run marathons

helped prepare her for this position, which

just happened to be in the White House. Lau-

ra, who took over the position of chief floral

designer in late 2009, after Nancy Clarke

retired in May of that year, resigned from the

high-stress position in February 2015 to “pur-

sue exciting new opportunities,” one of which

is her new book, Floral Diplomacy at the

White House (see page 28 for ordering infor-

mation). She shares some of her experiences

and her breathtaking work from the years she

spent serving the first family.

strategic messengersWhen Laura’s husband learned that Nancy

Clarke would retire after nearly 31 years at

the White House (she began as a volunteer

in 1978, joined the White House flower shop

staff in early 1981 and became chief floral de-

signer in early 1985), he urged his wife to pur-

sue the opportunity. Laura, who worked full

time in communications, had been creating

florals for Washington, D.C., events part time

from her home studio for nearly a decade. So

she sent her résumé and a letter of inquiry, in

which she proposed that flowers play more of

a strategic role at the White House.

“I thought it would be interesting to … use

(opposite) A vase covered with Hydrangea florets is a stunning container for the garden-gathered assortment. Photo: Kevin Allen (top) French President François Hollande signs the White House guest book in the Blue Room in February 2014.

Laura Dowling

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flowers to support key messages and an inspiring policy agenda,”

Laura shares. “With flowers, it would be possible to highlight a

broad range of issues — environmental, focusing on conservation

and sustainability; cultural, highlighting the flowers, colors and

traditions of individual countries; and symbolic, capturing the

intangible essence of the American spirit and style,” she explains.

Apparently, hundreds, if not thousands, of florists expressed

interested in the chief floral designer position, and Laura was

amazed that she was selected to interview for the position. “I still

think it’s somewhat of a miracle that my individual letter made it

through the maze of obstacles, outside mail facilities and internal

White House mail delivery systems to get to the right person in

the right office,” she says.

making the cutOnce she was being considered for the position, the interview

process took a fairly grueling turn that perhaps foreshadowed the

requirements of the position. “It was a very intense, high-stakes

application process that spanned seven months,” Laura recalls.

But after multiple rounds of interviews and cuts, three remain-

ing prospects were scheduled for a final interview. “We were

sequestered in separate rooms for the duration of the competition

and had to make a complete state dinner tableau (a proposal for

the Obamas’ first state dinner for the prime minister of India),

a large Blue Room bouquet and an Oval Office arrangement,”

shares Laura. “The competition culminated in an interview with

the first lady. Even after seven years, the memory of that incredi-

ble day stands out in my mind as an experience I’ll never forget!”

she adds.

Laura says she was personally selected by Mrs. Obama to fill

the role. However, this hiring process was not typical of how

most White House staff positions, including that of chief floral

designer, are usually filled. According to Laura, staff selections are

usually based on political connections rather than tests of experi-

ence and skill.

“I credit [the first lady’s social secretary] with opening a

process that had been closed for decades, creating a merit-based

competition that is consistent with how we view the American

dream — that what you achieve is not based on who you know

but on how hard you work and what you bring to the table,”

Laura explains.

After the selection, Laura had to pass “top-secret” level securi-

ty. “It involves completing a 96-page security form, interviews and

a background investigation conducted by the FBI,” she shares.

an inside look at the jobPrior to taking the position at the White House, Laura studied

French floral design in Paris for eight years. Although she holds

degrees in political science and public administration, Laura says

she was “inspired to pursue floral design after visiting Paris and

discovering the artistic beauty of the French bouquet.”

It was Laura’s distinctive French style that captivated visitors

during her tenure at the White House. As chief floral designer,

she managed flowers and décor for everything at 1600 Pennsylva-

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History of the White House floristFresh flowers have always decorated the White

House, but the office of chief floral designer wasn’t officially established until the Kennedy administra-tion, by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy appointed Elmer “Rusty” Young to the position, which he held throughout the Johnson administration and for some time during the Nixon administration.

Rusty was followed by Dottie Temple, who started during the Nixon administration, around 1970, and continued to serve while Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan held office. Nancy Clarke, who joined the White House flower shop staff in the early 1980s under Dottie Temple, became the chief floral designer in 1985 and held the position until May 31, 2009, serving Pres-idents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush. Laura Dowling filled the role from late 2009 until February 2015, during President Obama’s admin-istration, and was replaced by the current chief floral designer, Hedieh “Roshan” Ghaffarian, who stepped into the position in October 2015.

The White House chief floral designer is a mem-ber of the first lady’s staff, along with her chief of staff and press secretary, the White House social secretary and the White House executive chef. The chief floral designer heads the White House flower shop, which is located in the basement of the White House, under the east entrance of the North Portico, and is responsible for planning, creating and placing all day-to-day floral decorations throughout the White House, including the executive residence, as well as the floral décor for state dinners, receptions and other official events, and holidays — and even Camp David and Air Force One, if requested.

The chief floral designer heads a staff of three assistant floral designers, and works with the first lady, chief usher (head of the household staff) and White House social secretary, and serves at the president’s pleasure and may be appointed, or reappointed, by each administration.

Source: The White House Historical Association; www.whitehousehistory.org

(opposite) Fashioned in the style of a French Impressionist painting, this centerpiece highlighted the Blue Room for a state dinner for French President François Hollande in February 2014.Photo: Eddie Kohan

(top) This arrangement for the Blue Room is one of three floral designs that Laura had to create as part of the rigorous interview process. It helped win her the job of White House chief floral designer in 2009.

(left) A centerpiece for a National Governors Association Dinner in the White House State Dining Room, February 2012.

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nia Ave., which included the east and west wing

offices, the executive mansion and the president’s

private residence. Laura also handled flowers for

“all official events (breakfast meetings, luncheons,

dinners, receptions, etc.), state dinners, Camp

David” and, of course, all holiday events and the

always-impressive Christmas décor.

During an average nonholiday week, Laura’s

workload typically required hundreds of grand

compositions to be produced in the tiny shop,

which is located in the basement below the

east entrance of the North Portico. Laura shares

that she had help from “three federally funded

staff positions in the shop, who work a regular

government work week of 35 hours.” These

staffers clean and process the fresh-cut flowers

that are delivered almost daily; deliver, install and

maintain completed designs; and handle countless

other behind-the-scenes functions.

To maximize the shop’s output, Laura shares

that she “expanded the part-time contractor

program and invited volunteers, including AIFD

designers, garden clubs, etc., to help.” While

she says output and results were improved,

Laura’s work days usually started at 6 a.m. and

ended around midnight — totaling about 100

hours each week. “Early on, I realized that, to

make a real difference and to carry out the first

lady’s vision, I needed to put in extraordinary

hours,” Laura relates.

Despite the tremendous workload, Laura says

there was no training or on-boarding program, so

she had to rely on her “professional experience

and instincts to create a basic structure” from

which to operate. “When I started in 2009, email

and digitized records were still a fairly new

concept at the White House” she explains, “and

basic tools, such as staffing schedules, flower

orders, and delivery and maintenance routines

were nonexistent.”

Laura believes that it’s possible for anyone

to achieve great things in floristry or any career

by “following a passion, developing expertise

(opposite) A textural mix of romantic, soft-hued summery blos-soms is elegantly displayed in a reindeer-moss-covered vase.Photo: Georgianna Lane

(top) Laura says this bouquet was intended to symbolize the spirit of the American dream. It included bee balm, butterfly bush and English ivy. Photo: Kevin Allen

(left) Using locally grown blossoms when she could was an important part of Laura’s vision for the White House flower shop. Here, glorious locally grown café-au-lait and peach Dahlias compose a striking hand-tied bouquet.Photo: Georgianna Lane

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through study and practice, and setting yourself

apart from the competition through hard work

and a distinctive style.” These tenets were, she

says, key to her landing the chief floral design-

er position at the White House and succeeding

during the tenure there.

tight space and budgetsOn many occasions, especially for large events

such as state dinners, the floral team needed

to expand into other locations to complete the

processing and design work. “We would often set

up work tables in a small tent outside the flower

shop. And in cold weather, we created temporary

work spaces in basement rooms,” recalls Laura.

While processing large volumes of flowers

and producing hundreds of designs each week

was challenging in the small shop space, part of

which is occupied by a sizable walk-in cooler,

budgetary constraints were also challenging.

“I worked under strict budget parameters and

always sought ways to stretch and maximize the

budget,” she assures.

Laura shares that she had a separate budget

for daily and weekly work and another for events

and special projects like White House Christmas

décor. To make the most of the limited funds, the

designers recycled and repurposed long-lasting

fresh products, especially berries, branches, and

foliages, and event flowers were always reused as

weekly décor.

Regardless of the limited space and finances,

and the added pressure of creating floral designs

for none other than the president of the United

States, his family, visiting dignitaries, and world

leaders, Laura’s work was always amazing. Of

course, being in the White House didn’t shield

her from the challenges that all florists face, such

as weather conditions, delivery snafus and other

circumstances beyond her control. Whatever

happens, Laura advises, “maintain a level-headed

sense of calm and a sense of humor, and keep

focused on resolving issues as they develop.”

Beyond that, she adds, “It’s important to maintain

perspective. Even at the White House, it’s

only flowers and usually not a matter of life

and death.” nFloral Diplomacy at the White House by Laura Dowling features stunning floral designs Laura created during her tenure as White House chief floral designer. Laura also describes her inspiration, provides tips and techniques on flower arranging and entertaining, and offers readers a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into both official and private White House life.

Floral Diplomacy at the White House (144 pages) will be available in January 2017 from the Florists’ Review Bookstore. To reserve your copy, visit shop.floristsreview.com or call (800) 367-4708.

(top) The walk-in cooler in the White House flower shop. The ar-rangements on the center shelves were for the Obama’s first state dinner for the prime minister of India in November 2009.Photo: Samantha Appleton

(above left) Sweetpea vines add untamed beauty and texture to a wreath of fresh green apples.