Whenever people think about the most important family of the country, they probably imagine a pretty busy life. Laura Dowling - former florist at the White House - confirms that as a fact. She mentions the numerous daily events and tasks that needed to be covered.
“There were always at least 10 different activities occurring at once, from administrative and management tasks to creative jobs, involving a variety of different timelines and deadlines.” - Laura Dowling
You may think working as a florist or a gardener might be a laid-back job, but thinking about the White House, there’s no such thing as laid-back. These jobs are extremely demanding as the tasks need to be done all at once and very quickly. Some of the daily tasks for the White House florist include:
- Ordering flowers
- Managing routines
- Developing budgets and cost projections
- Creating work plans and staffing schedules
- Designing bouquets
- Creating event inspiration boards
- Crafting design prototypes and organic containers
In the Elle Decor article, she described her previous routine:
Starting at 6am:
- Check the day agenda
- Go for a morning run
- Get coffee
From 9am Until Midday:
- Arrive at the White House
- Check for updates or issues with the team
- Meetings (including unplanned visits) and new projects assignments
- Requests from East Wing and West Wing staffers
- Staff briefings
- Guidance for volunteers
From Midday Until The End of The Afternoon:
- Arranging flowers and decorations for the afternoon meals, receptions, meetings, or dinners happening at the White House
- Working on special projects with volunteers - such as creating organic containers, complex holiday designs, and general flower shopping
- Update her e-mails and other administrative work
There was still the “night shift” when she and her staff would put the flowers back in the refrigerator from the place where the event occurred and do a general clean-up in order to let things ready for the following day. Laura also states that she worked at home up until midnight on flower orders, proposals, and creative research. Along with the major holidays - such as 4th of July and Christmas - events that needed floral arrangements were often added to the White House calendar without much notice.
It is a tight timetable and you might think it’s hard to keep track of everything going on. However, the former presidential family’s florist alleges:
“My work schedule can best be described as intense and grueling – 16 hour days, 100 hour work weeks, 7 days a week for 6 years. Luckily, I had the stamina and motivation (as well as knowledge from my marathon days on how to pace myself) to work this schedule.” - Laura Dowling
There are different stories about her departure from the White House, one where she has been fired and another that says she has resigned to focus on personal projects. You can find out a little bit more about it in The Washington Post and in The Telegraph. Whichever story is true, we can only wish luck to who’s assuming the job next.
