Originally, the site was the vegetable garden of the adjacent College of San Pablo de la Compañía de Jesús, before the entire complex came under the control of the University of Granada, when the Jesuits were expelled from Spain in 1767.

Its creation is the result of the new university syllabus of 1776, which nevertheless did not come into effect until the first half of the next century. The exterior enclosure, featuring walls and railings, was created in approximately 1875, and attention should be drawn to the façade on Calle Duquesa, which features reliefs of two famous botanists: Mariano La Gasca and Antonio José Cavanilles.

It boasts 70 large tree specimens, amongst which the ginkgo biloba, one of the first to be planted in the Iberian Peninsula, is particularly noteworthy. Today, its aesthetic value as a romantic and historic garden located in the heart of Granada takes precedence over the scientific objectives that led to its creation, particularly following the creation of the Botanic Garden of La Cortijuela in 1965.