Topic: Recent Gardens Visited

Recently, garden expert Ashley Stephenson visited gardens in Tenerife and Madeira and here are his thoughts:

The Botanic Garden on Tenerife is compact with a few steps to get into the garden but once inside the paths are level and symetrical. There's a wealth of plant material to enjoy, some are unusual whilst others can be seen all over the Canary Islands. Close to the entrance is a large Fig tree which shows the aerial roots natural to this genus. Other unusal plants include The African Tulip Tree, Jacaranda Trees, a colourful climber Allemanda cathartica, The Orchid Tree Bauhinea, Angels Trumpets Brugmannsia and Hibiscus rosa sinensis, a plant regularly seen in Britain as a house plant. Typical of Botanic gardens they ring the changes through the year so there is always interest.The garden is densely planted and it looks as though they are not able to increase the flora without some thinning. Easy to get round even with a wheel chair.

The Botanic Garden on Madeira is laid out on the side of a a steep hill, some parts of the garden are reasonably level but much of the garden would be difficult for those with walking problems. This is a lovely garden laid out much like English gardens, narrow paths and the hillside slopes can be managed so long as care is taken. Plant material abounds in shrubbery which is not too dense, it is easy to see the plants. Some of the interesting ones include; the Coral Tree Erythrina, the Floss Silk Tree Chorisia, Protea, much used as a cut flower,the Cape Honeysuckle Tecomaria and The Dragon Tree Dracaena. A fruit tree which is just hardy in Britain can be seen, Eriobotrya japonica or the Loquat. The views from the garden are wonderful looking over Funchal.

you can get a combined ticket for the cable car to monte and then the cable car to the botanical gardens (which is brilliant but is a short walk from the monte cable car) and entrance to the botanical gardens (which are quite cheap to go to) in madeira, which gives you a few euro off what you'd pay seperately and is probably the easiest way to there if you've only got one day on a cruise.
on the way back, you could visit the monte palace gardens, which are right next to the cable station but be warned, they are definitely not flat either!
alternatively, you could take the tobaggan part of the way back to funchal from monte.