The Rose Garden was created by the Florentine architect Giuseppe Poggi in 1865, following a commission by the municipality of Florence to develop the left bank of the Arno River, when the capital of Italy was moved from Turin to Florence that year.[1] His contributions include both the Pialeas Michelangelo and the garden. It has an area of about 1 ha and is terraced. Once part of the property of the Oratorian Fathers, the Podere San Francesco (San Francesco farm), the area was transformed into a garden by Attilio Pucci, who started a collection of roses.[2] In 1895, the garden was opened for the first time to the public during the Arts and Flowers Festival, which was held every May.

In 1998, the garden gained a Japanese Shorai oasis, donated by Yasuo Kitayama and the Kōdai-ji Zen temple by the Florence's twin city of Kyoto.[2] Since September 2011 the garden has hosted twelve sculptures by the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, donated by his widow to the municipality of Florence. The sculptures are: Partir (2005), Un oiseau (1993), Chat-oiseau (1994), Chat (1996), Vingt-cinquième pensée (2001), Méditerranée (2001), Panthère (2003), Walking (2003), Je me souviens (2003), Partir (2005) and L’envol (2005).[3]