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Written by Chris Szabo on 18 September 2024. Posted in Uncategorised.

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Palheiro Gardens, a family-friendly year-round destination

Rustic Grotto

Water is the mainspring of any garden. At Palheiro, mountain springs are collected by levadas and fed into two large reservoirs at the top of the property.
The passage of water through the garden is celebrated by a rustic grotto which feeds into a bubbling brill and then into a series of lozenge-shaped pools edged with tritonias.

Centennial Trees

Forest species like oak, beech, chestnut and cedar grow beside exotics like eucalyptus and araucaria pines.
The monarch of the garden is a splendid specimen of Araucaria angustifolia, the candelabra tree from Brazil, run close by the Hymenosporum flavum, the Australian jasmine tree.
Other noble trees are a huge Californian redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, a magnificent 38-metre-tall Araucaria excelsa from Norfolk Island and a huge Araucaria bidwillii with pineapple-shaped cones.

Sunken Garden

A garden planted with brightly coloured flowers, including gazanias and lampranthus. Here freesias, ixias and nerines seed themselves freely. In the surrounding rockeries are agaves, aloes and dieramas.

Rose Garden

Created in 2007 by Christina Blandy around stone rings salvaged from Banger’s Pillar, a 1798 landmark on the Funchal waterfront demolished despite strong town opposition in 1939. This is planted with old-fashioned roses which are trained up the arches

“The Lady’s Garden” - Jardim da Senhora

The lower garden is formed of neatly clipped topiary which looks like clusters of peahens with fantails.

The Tea House

Opened from 10h00 to 17h00 for snacks and lunch, in partnership with the 5* Relais & Chateaux Hotel, The Casa Velha do Palheiro.

“Hell’s Garden” – Jardim do Inferno

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Farmland

Our seasonal residents.

Picnic Area

Sit and enjoy views over the bay of Funchal.

The Garden Species

Welcome to Madeira island and the Palheiro Gardens

The Garden Species

Endemic pigeons nesting at Palheiro Estate

As a long-time Island resident, I was brought up on the story that the Madeira Trocaz pigeon lived exclusively in the laurel forests on the north of the island and fed on laurel berries; when they ventured out to eat newly planted cabbage, furious farmers used to shoot them and so the population was in decline.
Much of this continues to be true though birds are seen in small pockets of laurel forest on the southern side of the island and have now been protected for many years. The population is now believed to be increasing.
David Bannerman in volume two of his book "Birds of the Atlantic Islands" gives pride of place to the Trocaz with a coloured frontispiece plate and saying how the adult bird could be distinguished by its red bill, silver ring round its neck, pinkish tinge on the breast and very long middle toe or claw. (See picture). There are indeed several mounted examples of this magnificent bird in the Funchal Natural History Museum.
As a frequent visitor to the Palheiro Gardens over the years, I have noticed an ever-increasing number of Trocaz pigeons. At first, I thought they might have lost their way or had been frightened by forest fires or hunters. Now they are more established and Luis Alves the Palheiro Golf greenkeeper believes there must be several dozen living in the woods and feeding off the Laurels, Holm oaks and kindred trees. They have become quite tame as indeed they must have been when the island was first discovered. Recently a wounded juvenile, unable to fly, was found and placed in a cardboard box; Dr.Frank Zino and Dr. Manuel José Biscoito curator of the Natural History Museum were consulted and the latter arranged for the bird to be collected by João Silva, keeper of the Museum collections.
The bird responded to his treatment, is now feeding itself and endeavouring to fly, - albeit somewhat erratically…. Hopefully it may one day be returned to fly again in the sanctuary of Palheiro. I was told that this was the second such case as another very young chick fell out of his nest last year at Palheiro and was looked after by João Silva who initially had to hand feed it before it was happily returned to its natural environment.
In the Palheiro Gardens they can sometimes be seen on the lawns and drinking from the ponds. Recently I witnessed a courtship at close quarters as a cock fanned its tail and turned around bobbing about in front of two admiring females.
In the late afternoons they can be seen flying to the nearby Ribeiro do Inferno. I believe they are most probably nesting there either in holes or ledges of the stone cliff above the spring at the base of the cliff or in the laurel trees. Visitors to the gardens rarely visit this wild area containing a number of Madeira endemic trees.

Richard Pell

The Gardener's Garden

Welcome to Madeira island and the Palheiro Gardens

The Gardener's Garden

Palheiro Gardens have been featured in the book "The Gardener's Garden" by Phaidon press. The book contains a selection of 250 noteworthy gardens from around the world. Of the 250 selected gardens, five are Portuguese and of those, one is in Madeira. This is the Palheiro Gardens, praised among the most beautiful in the world.

Palheiro Gardens also recently recieved a highlight from the Spanish edition of the tourism magazine Condé Nast Traveler.

Palheiro Garden Slopes of Eden

Welcome to Madeira island and the Palheiro Gardens

Palheiro Garden
Slopes of Eden

The Palheiro Gardens are open throughout the year and welcome visitors. One of the most beautiful gardens in Madeira Island, nowadays they are part of the Palheiro Estate which includes a hotel, golf course, the Palheiro Village and Florialis orchid nurseries.
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.
The family continued the development of the Gardens in the 1900s and it was Mildred Blandy who introduced many plants including proteas from South Africa. In 1997 the Counts's house was renovated and converted to a hotel known as the Casa Velha do Palheiro, a Relais & Château member.
The Gardens have a privileged location above Funchal and are rich in colour and scent. Here you will find a magnificent collection of camellias started by the Count, centennial trees, the rose garden created by Christina Blandy and a myriad of other flowers and climbers.
This Eden is divided into several areas: Main Garden, Sunken Garden, Ribeiro do Inferno, Rose Garden, Lady's Garden and the Tea-House area where you may admire a Brazilian auracaria and a magnificent New Zealand metrosideros. You may also enjoy lakes with water lilies, an interesting bush-sculptured family of hens and beautiful flower beds with purple and orange flowers.
The preservation of this natural treasure has the personal touch of Christina Blandy and a team of dedicated gardeners.