Established in 1832, it is considered one of the most important test and acclimatization gardens in the world. The west wing of the garden is occupied by the French garden, lined with washingtonias. It is separated from the old garden located further east by the alley of the plane trees, perpendicular to the road as the alley of the dragon trees and the alley of the ficus, cut themselves from many alleys parallel to the road of which the two main ones are the alley of the bamboos and the alley of the palm trees

 A circular alley to the southeast, the coconut alley, bypasses the English garden with a small lake with aquatic plants. Several stone sculptures by Émile Gaudissard adorn the alleys. At the northern end of the Alley of the Dragon Trees is the zoological garden which brings together specimens of the fauna of North Africa and some wild animals. The test garden is served by the Jardin d'essai station of the Algiers metro.