Not all of the rooms feature heavy planting, for example the Gazebo and Trellis area displays Tuscan style, neoclassical architectural design elements.

Two of the rooms, Sustenance Orchard and Trees of Americana, showcase the botanical heritage of Florida and the United States.

[1] Hollis Garden is a part of a larger Lake Mirror complex that includes the Frances Langford Promenade, a site built in the 1920s and dedicated to American actress and Lakeland local Frances Langford, in 1946;[5] the Magnolia Building, a city owned formal event space built in 1938, originally known as the Lakeland Community Center;[6] Garden Bistro, a local cafe in the lower level of the Magnolia Building facing Lake Mirror; Barnett Family Park, an all-ages park that includes multiple playgrounds, a splash-pad water feature, and the Sunflower Preschool Playground;[7] the Lake Mirror Auditorium, home to the Lakeland Community Theatre;[8] and the Peggy Brown Building, an informal outdoor event space.

A grand two-phase project completed in 1928, the original plans for the promenade included a tennis court, a new city hall, an auditorium, shuffle board, lawn bowling and carpet golf, although many of these no longer exist.

Lynn and Mark Hollis, a former president of Publix, donated one million dollars to the City of Lakeland through their Hollis Trust in the Community foundation of Greater Lakeland, Inc. and also provided a perpetual care fund of $500,000 in Publix stock in order to keep the garden operating independent of the city's budget.