Five gardens to visit in Madeira

The Madeira Botanical Garden is a treasure-trove for gardeners and is renowned for its stunning carpet bedding display but also home to a carefully curated plant collection, including an outdoor propagation bed of succulents and fascinating display of economically important plants. Located high in the hills above Funchal it also boasts spectacular views, which make it a great destination if your travelling companion is less of a plantaholic than you. They can sit in the sun admiring Madeira’s topography while you marvel over the bougainvillea, hibiscus and bird of paradise flowers.

• Open daily, 9:00-17:30, price €7.50 per person

2. Monte Palace

Monte Palace is home to exotic plants from every continent except Antarctica, including cycads, proteas, azaleas, orchids, hydrangeas and olives, housed in a dramatic landscape including a pagoda, lake, palace and wishing well. The setting is fairytale - round a corner to see a wall of flowering begonias topped off by a Chinese Pagoda or purple tibouchina petals carpeting the cobbles. After a long morning walk my energy was restored by this colourful garden to the point that I tried to cover all of its winding paths. And just when I thought I’d seen everything a bevy of flamingoes provided a spectacular finale.

• Open daily, 9:30-18:00, €15 per person

3. Palheiro Gardens

First on my list of gardens to visit on my next trip to Madeira is the Palheiro Gardens, also known as the Blandy Gardens, after the family who bought them in the late 19th Century. Although there is plenty to see here all year round, the plants for which these gardens are famous are Camellias, which flower in Madeira from October (C. sanaqua and C. granthamiana) to April (C. japonica and C. reticulata). The collection was started by Count de Carvalhal, who established the gardens, but lovingly built up by Mildred Blandy.

• Open daily, 9:00-17:00, €11 per person

4. Quinta da Boa Vista

This is the destination for fans of tropical orchids and run by the Garton family, including descendants of one of the early pioneers of orchid breeding, Sir William Cooke. The levada irrigation system is one of the fascinating aspects of Madeira and this garden continues to draw water from it, for its important collection of orchids, which contains species of global importance for conservation. Patrick Garton, who studied plants at Oxford University and on the Kew Diploma, continues this vital work in the gardens.

• Open Monday to Friday, 9:00-18:00, €5 per person

5. Quinta Vigia

For a calming rest, with minimal outlay, visit the gardens of the presidential palace in Fulchal, Quinta Vigia. Situated in a prime position, with a beautiful view of the bay of Funchal, these gardens also offer inspiring landscaping, ambitious bedding and examples of native Madeiran flora. Kings and Queens from all over Europe have enjoyed the view out to sea here, with many staying at the quinta for respite while under treatment for ill health.

• Open Monday to Friday, 8:00-18.00, €1 per person