Government Botanical Garden, Historic botanical garden in Ooty, India.

The Government Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in Ooty, India, covering roughly 22 hectares arranged in several terraced levels. The beds are organized by plant type, with sections for roses, ferns, medicinal plants, and introduced trees from other continents.

The garden was founded in 1847 under the Marquis of Tweedale with help from gardener McIvor, who collected native and exotic species. During the First World War, Italian prisoners of war laid out part of the grounds in the style of their homeland.

The name dates back to British colonial times when the grounds were laid out for European settlers. Today you often see wedding couples taking photographs among the flower beds while families picnic on the lawns and walk up the terraces.

The garden rises from about 2,250 to 2,500 metres on the lower slopes of Doddabetta peak, so the upper terraces are reached by flights of steps while the lower lawns and entrance area stay fairly level. Frosty nights occur from November to February, with temperatures falling to around 0 °C, so early mornings are cold. Most rain arrives with the south-west monsoon, when paths can be muddy.

A pavilion holds a fossilized tree trunk roughly 20 million years old and sourced from the region. The garden also displays an araucaria tree whose densely growing branches prevent monkeys and other animals from climbing up.