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..:: Botanical Garden ::.. |
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The botanical garden at Udhagamandalam |
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..:: old
This garden was laid out in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale and is spread over 55 acres. Lush green well maintained lawns, rare tree species (like the cork tree which is probably the only such tree in India, the paper bark tree and the monkey puzzle tree - monkeys cannot climb this tree), a 20 million year old fossilized tree, an Italian-style garden bordering a clear pool, a vast variety of flowering bushes and plants in myriad hues (exotic and ornamental), fern house with a vast range of ferns and orchids, are some of the many highlights of this garden. A flower show along with an exhibition of rare plant species is held every year in the month of May at this garden. The Garden is maintained by the Horticulture Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu and has a very wide variety of plants that include different types of roses, imported shrubs, rare flowering plants etc.
The "Summer Festivals" is held each year during the month of May in the Botanical Garden and is an added attraction for tourists. The Flower Show is the pride of the festival. To the east of the garden is the Toda mund (hill). The Todas are the native tribe. At the mund is a display highlighting the different aspects of their traditional culture
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.
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