I went on a garden holiday on Madeira in the spring of 2018. It was my third time to Madeira and each time I am struck by how well everything grows. It is surely a place that anyone interested in plants should visit, and it doesn’t surprise me that it is called the ‘floating garden in the Atlantic’.
Each of my holidays has had a different theme. The first one in 1996 was a sightseeing and walking holiday, the second time in 2003 was a walking holiday where we stayed in a mountain lodge and my latest trip was focused on the gardens.
The island of Madeira is 35 miles by 13 miles wide and lies about 600 miles south west of Lisbon, 375 miles from Morocco, the nearest mainland, and about 250 miles north of Tenerife int he Canary Islands. The highest peak is Pico Ruivo at 1,861 metres high (significantly taller than Ben Nevis at 1,345 metres). The terrain is so mountainous and difficult that distances are magnified. Madeira’s climate is sub-tropical with frost free winters and the cooling Atlantic winds taking the edge off the intense heat of summer. This climate, together with the fertile volcanic soil, is the reason why the island has been described as a floating greenhouse and God’s botanic garden. Flowers are the calling card of this island.
Jardim Botanico da Madeira
The garden is located on the former grounds of Quinta do Born Successo, better known as the Reid’s Estate. This estate dates from 1881 and this rich and famous family inhabited these grounds until 1936. The family donated it to the government to build the botanical gardens and construction began. The gardens opened to the public in 1960 on a steep slope overlooking the Bay of Funchal. Over 2,000 exotic plants both endemic and from all over the world are displayed within the gardens. They lie on the south slope of a valley at altitudes between 200 and 350 metres, providing a range of conditions suitable for growing a lush variety of plants.
Quinta Jardins do Lago
This elegant small luxury hotel is situated on one of the hills surrounding Funchal. This charming Madeiran Quinta was built in the 18th century. During the Napoleonic wars, the Commander of the British forces on the island chose it as his residence.
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
In the 18th century, the English consul bought a property to the south of the Nossa Senhora do Monte (Our Lady of Monte church) and transformed it into a beautiful estate, then called Quinta do Prazer, the Pleasure Estate. In 1897, Rodrigues purchased the estate and built a palace-like residence which was later converted into a hotel called the Monte Palace Hotel. The hotel was closed following his death in 1943. it was purchased in 1987 by Jose Berardo to create his dream, the gardens. The gardens, spread over 17 acres of hillside, were opened in 1997 and contain exotic plants and native species, alongside fishponds, fountains and grottoes.
Jardines Palheiro
The land first belonged to the Count of Carvalhal back in 1801. Here he built a hunting lodge with a carriageway entrance of 200 plane trees and imported exotic trees from all over the world. In 1885 the estate was purchased by John Blandy. Successive generations of the Blandy family have tended the garden, with its interesting blend of English-style design and tropical planting. The gardens at Quinta do Palheiro are famous not only for the variety of plants that grow there but for the beauty of their setting in the hills to the east of Funchal.
Jardim de Sao Francisco
In 1878 a garden was set up on the grounds of an extinct convent Sao Francisco. These gardens are also known at the Municipal Gardens.
Parque de Santa Catarina
The site of the park was originally occupied by the Santa Catarina Chapel which was built out of wood in the early 1400s. The chapel was rebuilt with stone in the 1600s. Situated in the western part of Funchal, this park covers 9 acres and offers a lovely view over the bay of Funchal.
Quinta Vigia
At the western end of the Parque de Santa Catarina lies Quinta Vigia, Several important persons have called the quinta home including in 1849 the Russian Prince Maximilian, the son-in-law of Czar Nicolau I. The original quinta disappeared in the 1970s to make way for a hotel. In 1984 Quinta Vigia became the Official Residence of the President of the Regional Government, and the gardens were completed remodelled.
