The history of the Government Botanical Garden dates back to its establishment in the year 1848. The gardens were established to supply vegetables at a reasonable cost to the European residents, at a subscription of INR 3 per month. During that time Ootacamund, present-day Ooty, was under British control. Hence, considerable cultivation of vegetables for the market was carried out by the European settlers.

In the later years, it was proposed to build a public garden. This suggestion was accepted and Mr. W.G. McIvor was sent to Ootacamund by the East India Company. He inspected the area where the public garden was proposed and submitted a report at the end of 1848 to the East India Company in London. It took him ten years to complete the layout of the Garden.

The garden is spread over 22 acres of land and consists of 5 sections. The initial layout was drawn by Marquis of Tweedale, to provide vegetables to European residents at lower rates. However, the real transformation to the present-day Government Botanical Garden happened under the supervision of Mr. W.G. Mclovr from the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew.

The garden was bifurcated into the upper portion, the garden, and the lower portion.  The lower portion was a swamp, which was later transformed into a beautiful landscape full of flora.

The Botanical Garden is the major tourist spot in Ooty. The Ooty Government Botanical Garden ticket price for entrance for the adults is INR 30 and for children INR 15. Tourists can do the following activities at the botanical garden - 

• Walkthrough the Garden - The garden is spread across 22 acres and divided into 5 sections, tourists can stroll through the sections and witness the wonder of nature 
• Attend the Flower Show - The Botanical Garden also hosts a Flower show as a part of the Summer Festival in Ooty. Tourists can attend the show which is held over two days and has events such as Indian and Japanese flower arranging, vegetable carving, and more!

• The tickets for entry to the Government Botanical Gardens can be purchased only when arriving on site. 
• If you are looking to visit the garden, try for May as it is the Spring season and the Flower show is also held then.
• Wear a comfortable pair of shoes as the area is covered only by walking.

Although the city is a year-round destination, if you want to witness the flowers in full bloom it has to be the spring season. Moreover, the month of May also has the Flower Show that is conducted for two days. However, if you’re looking to visit during a time when there would be lesser tourists, September is the best month for that.

• Tamilnadu Tourism Ooty Boat House
• Government Rose Garden
• Doddabetta Peak
• St. Stephen's Church
• Government Museum
• The Tea Factory & The Tea Museum

• The Botanical garden is one of the largest rose gardens in India with over 15,000 varieties of roses.
• The initial layout was drawn by Marquis of Tweedale, to provide vegetables to European residents at lower rates.
• The Botanical Garden also hosts a Flower show as a part of the Summer Festival in Ooty. 
• The Gardens has around a thousand species of exotic and indigenous plants, shrubs, ferns, and bonsai plants.