WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday defended its remade Rose Garden, which now features a paved stone terrace, classical statuary and fewer rose bushes, following President Donald Trump's latest renovations to the executive mansion's grounds.

The changes replaced much of the garden's grass lawn with a limestone patio, a design the president has compared to the terrace at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The White House said the updates were intended to make the space more usable for events and receptions throughout the year.

The Rose Garden, first planted during the Kennedy administration and redesigned under Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962, has long served as a backdrop for presidential announcements and ceremonies. Preservation groups, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, have questioned the alterations and called for greater transparency about the approvals process.

Garden historians and landscape designers offered mixed reactions to the reduced plantings and addition of statues honoring historical figures. Some praised the greater flexibility for gatherings, while others argued the changes diminished the garden's character established over six decades.

The Rose Garden work forms part of a broader renovation program that has included ballroom construction plans and other changes to the White House complex. The Committee for the Preservation of the White House typically reviews significant modifications to the building and grounds.