In 1865 the Municipality of Florence commissioned the architect Giuseppe Poggi to develop the Rose Garden.The municipality became the owner of about one hectare of land between the current Viale Poggi and Via di San Salvatore from which he enjoyed the remarkable view of Florence.The Rose Garden was planted on terraced land, this late nineteenth century. In 1895 the garden was opened to the public.Today, the botanical garden has about 1000 species of plants.An interesting irrigation system matches the arrangement of the garden. The tank is at the top of the garden behind the lodge of the Piazzale Michelangelo and a pipeline carries the water up to numerous outlets in the garden.