Located at 2145 Centre Avenue, the Gardens is owned and managed by the City of Fort Collins.

A 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer board works in conjunction with the City of Fort Collins on behalf of the institution.

The idea for a community horticulture center in Fort Collins was vocalized as early as 1986, but the initial move to development can be traced to 1995 when the city of Fort Collins initiated a horticulture program.

2017 saw the groundbreaking for a 5-acre, multi-million dollar expansion of garden spaces for the site.

[2] Lasting for two years, this expansion saw the addition of 5 new garden spaces: Theme (Plant Select, Fragrance, Rose, Moon, Hummingbird and Butterfly), Great Lawn/Everitt Pavilion, Undaunted, Foothills, and Prairie Gardens.