Later Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV’s finance minister, was in charge of the garden. The most visible remodelling was conducted by Georges-Louis Leclerc, a mathematician and scientist, who enlarged the garden and added a modern touch to it. As a Keeper of King’s Garden, Leclerc changed the very purpose of the garden from a mere plantation of herbs to a modern research centre and museum of the world's plant species. At present, visitors can also see a menagerie that was brought here in 1792 from Versailles. As they say, no self-respecting Frenchman could keep a garden without a rose section, and this rule applies in particular to the former King's Garden. Those interested in various rose species will take great satisfaction in the opportunity to admire a wide range of traditional and modern rose types that are displayed in modern glasshouses.

Another aspect of interest for Le Jardin des Plantes is its collection of trees from different parts of the world and brought to ope throughout the ages. This section of the garden is referred to as Historical Trees. A botanical school and a plant-research laboratory have also been created in the garden for the sake of enriching the garden's collection of plants. The huge collection of plants in the Jardin des Plantes is organised according to species. Sections are arranged by evolutionary stages and the relationships between particular species, as well as the region of the world that they come from. For instance, the section of La Serre Mexicaine presents plants from the mountains of Mexico. Le Jardin Alpine, Le Jardin d’Hiver and Le Jardin d’Iris et Vivaces all display thematically or chronologically arranged plant specimens.

Another important spot is the Museum of Natural History (Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle), situated on the garden’s premises. The institution dates back to the time when the botanical school was inaugurated, as was the original location of the research centre. Today, the process of observation and studying was moved to the glasshouses and buildings of the garden, such as the Botanic Gallery, the Gallery of Minerals and Geology and the Gallery of Palaeontology and Anatomy. Visitors to the garden can also see an entertaining performance in the 18th-century Verniquet amphitheatre. The paths and alleys of Le Jardin des Plantes are lined with works of art and sculptures of people who played an important role in its history, such as the Statue of Buffon, the Statue of Bernadine de Saint-Pierre and the Statue of Lamarck. If you have a chance, don't hesitate to explore the secrets of Le Jardin des Plantes. It tells stories about nature and mankind that can be heard nowhere else in Paris.