They also take part in programmes to protect rare and threatened plant species by cultivating some of these species.

The Vaud Cantonal Botanical Gardens occupy 1.7 hectares to the south-west of Place de Milan, ten minutes’ walk from the railway station and in close proximity to public transport networks. This lively museum is home to some 4,000 plant species. They contain various pools, a number of rock gardens that are home to mountain plants from all continents, an arboretum and a rich collection of carnivorous plants. Several hundred medicinal plants are presented in a garden arranged systematically, in an orangery and in a tropical greenhouse. 

Designed by the architect Alphonse Laverrière and botanist Florian Cosandey, the current botanical gardens were inaugurated on 1 June 1946. They are registered on the Swiss inventory of historical gardens of national importance. 

Located within this island of greenery, the Cantonal Botanical Museum contains various collections including a herbarium with a million samples, painted herbariums and a specialised plant biology library (35,000 works).

The museum and library collections are open all year round by prior appointment.