It is said that in the garden, water was drawn in from the Kamo-gawa River (the Yodo-gawa River system) and flowers and trees of every season offered by shugo daimyo (shugo, which were Japanese provincial military governors, that became daimyo, which were Japanese territorial lord) were planted, resulting in the name 'Hana no gosho' (literally, the flower palace).
庭内には鴨川(淀川水系)から水を引き、各地の守護大名から献上された四季折々の花木を配置したと伝わり、「花の御所」とよばれた。