My Days at Lloyd's Botanical Garden/Darjeeling/West Bengal/India/Ujjainee

Have you ever seen a lush green paradise? If not, then, let me tell you. When I entered Lloyd’s Botanical Garden in Darjeeling, my feeling was like I entered into a lush green paradise. Though it was a work trip, I enjoyed it the fullest. It was not only enjoying the beauty of mother nature but also getting to know many new things.

Life is beautiful when I can start my days with a cup of Darjeeling tea while seeing the foggy Himalayan range from a silent balcony. Those wooden walls gave me some pictures of British colonial life in Darjeeling.

When I walked through the garden, Living fossils like Ginkgo Biloba and Metasequoia glyptostroboides welcomed me. Even it was nice to meet the old Wisteria Chinese, which had been planted in 1878 when Lloyd’s Botanical Garden established. Beautiful and unique flowers smile everywhere in the garden. Some I know the name, some I don’t.

You might be thinking why it calls Lloyd’s Botanical Garden. Actually, this garden is the distant annex of the Calcutta Botanical Garden. In 1878, William Lloyd provided 40 acres of land to create this garden in Darjeeling. Remembering William Lloyd, the Garden got its name as Lloyd’s Botanical Garden.

The garden is holding some rich history. Especially, the Herbarium section. This particular part is not open to general visitors as it contains years old precious herbariums of unique plants. It has in total, of 14,251 herbarium samples of different species. Respecting the Government protocol I did not click any images of that Elizabeth styled herbarium section or any piece of the herbarium. I am glad enough to get the chance to see them and thankful to God.

The garden has a glasshouse. Which is well maintained and has some flowering plants. The garden also has a nice collection of cactus and orchids, those are collected from different parts of the world.

Living in the botanical garden for a few days had given me the opportunity to know more about nature, its history, and a bit secret. Life is a miracle and nature proved it.