The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company is contributing $1 million in funding, products, and technical expertise to help restore the White House South Lawn following the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the grounds as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
South Lawn Restoration
The donation will support restoration efforts coordinated through the National Park Service, which manages the White House grounds year-round. The project follows the installation of a temporary 92-foot-high venue known as “the Claw” for the mixed martial arts event.
Because the National Park Service oversees the property, ScottsMiracle-Gro is providing the assistance as a philanthropic contribution.
“The White House South Lawn is more than just a landscape. It is a living piece of U.S. history, a stage for global diplomacy and, truly, the backyard of the American people,” ScottsMiracle-Gro Chairman, President, and CEO Jim Hagedorn said in a statement. “As the market leader in consumer lawn and garden, there is no better company than ScottsMiracle-Gro to play a role in the restoration effort.”
Custom Turfgrass Blend
The company’s contribution includes monetary support, a custom turfgrass blend developed specifically for the South Lawn, and assistance from its research and development team.
According to ScottsMiracle-Gro Chief Operating Officer Nate Baxter, the project also highlights the company’s research efforts as it expands into organic and biological alternatives to synthetic fertilizers.
“The scale and scope of our R&D department is impressive,” Baxter told Fox Business. “I do believe ScottsMiracle-Gro has the horsepower in terms of the investment we make in R&D, to bring naturals and organics, to bring biologicals.”
Baxter said company researchers met with President Donald Trump to review seed options for the South Lawn. Trump ultimately selected a blend from eight turfgrass options presented by ScottsMiracle-Gro scientists.
“The president knows a lot about grass. I think his history and past with golf courses,” Baxter said, per Fox. “It was really interesting to watch our tour scientists and President Trump talk through each of these.”
The final blend combines tall fescue grasses, selected for durability and heat tolerance, with Kentucky bluegrass varieties known for disease resistance and thickening characteristics.
“Creating a proprietary blend for the White House’s unique conditions presented a distinct set of challenges,” Matthew Koch, ScottsMiracle-Gro’s R&D Lawns Research Fellow, said in a press release. “It is a functional lawn that has to stand up to hundreds of events and thousands of people each year.”
Yearlong Restoration Plan
The restoration is expected to take place over approximately one year. After the National Park Service removes event infrastructure and completes a previously scheduled public infrastructure project, ScottsMiracle-Gro plans to install mature sod in July to stabilize and regreen the lawn.
“We’re gonna work, we’ve chosen a sod and it’s not the same as the blend, but it has some of the same cultivars. We’re gonna help them restart and get a piece established,” Baxter said, Fox reported.
The company will then overseed the lawn with its custom blend during cooler fall temperatures, followed by a final overseeding and fertilization in spring 2027.
While the proprietary White House seed blend will not be sold commercially, ScottsMiracle-Gro said the underlying grass cultivars are already available through its retail product lines.
The White House said in a social media post that ScottsMiracle-Gro and the National Park Service will work together to restore the South Lawn, “making it stronger than ever before.”
