Garden globetrotting

While its rocky terrain provides challenges for Madeirans, the island's subtropical climate and year-round mild temperatures make it a big draw for visiting gardeners, as Emma Crawforth discovers

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Emma Crawforth, Horticultural Editor

The volcanic island of Madeira sits in the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of miles from its nearest continent, Africa. Culturally, however, it feels like Portugal, whose settlers began to populate the archipelago way back in the 1400s. As I arrived for a recent walking holiday, my first reaction was astonishment at the landscape of cliffs, valleys and ravines, extending far from the coast. From a distance this looked inhospitable but, drawing closer, I saw the city streets of Funchal, the capital, and its surrounding fields, mastering the topography.