Botanical Gardens Ooty

Ooty, a beautiful hill station in the lap of the Nilgiris allures a large number of tourists throughout the year. There are many Tourist Attractions in Ooty that are all well worth a visit when on a sight seeing trip of Ooty. Featuring on top of the list is the Botanical Gardens in Ooty which is home to about 650 species of plants and trees.

Covering an extensive area of 55 acres, the Botanical Gardens in Ooty was laid way back in the year 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale on the lower slopes of the Dodabetta Park. It is very well maintained to this date. The Horticulture Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu has been entrusted with the responsibility of looking after this garden.

It is indeed a pleasure to stroll in the lush green lawns of the garden and admire the stunning variety of flowers, ferns and orchids. The Botanical Gardens in Ooty is home to many rare species of trees. Particularly mention worthy among them are the cork tree, the paper bark tree, the monkey puzzle tree and an old fossilized tree that is about 20 million year old. The cork tree is the only one of its kind in the whole of the country. The monkey puzzle tree has been named so because even monkeys fail to climb it.


Lovely flowers of such diverse colors are a treat to the eye and it is rarely that one gets a chance to see so many at the same time. There is a separate fern house in the Botanical Gardens in Ooty where one finds many ferns and orchids. The vibrant roses, the imported shrubs and a host of other exotic and ornamental plants including thirty types of Eucalyptus trees form a part of the rich and unique collection.

It is an even more lucrative proposition to be visiting the Botanical Gardens in Ooty in the month of May when a Flower Show is held. Several rare species of plants are also exhibited at that point of time. But no one will be disappointed no matter at what time of the year he or she visits this beautiful garden.