Roger Van Loon wrote in message
Hello Charlie!
I did post about this one or two years ago - sorry if I repeat myself.
One thing you must certainly do: visit the Quinta do Palheiro gardens
(Blandy gardens), near Funchal. And when you're there, you - as a
Clematis lover - must absolutely have a look at a very special and
spectacular Clematis. It grows on the trellisses, in the central part
of the garden, in front of (and some distance from) the manor.
It is Clematis grandiflora, from Africa (no, not C. montana!) and it
is the only specimen of this species that I know of, in cultivation.
It's not even in Kew.
There's a picture of it on my old website:
http://users.pandora.be/roger.van.loon/pictures.htm
And there are some pictures of it in Clematis on the Web:
http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/clemd...cfm?dbkey=1092
But it is a winter flowerer, and probably not in flower yet when you
are there.

Other things:
The Botanical Gardens have already been mentioned.
And, if you go up to Monte by cable car, don't forget to visit the
gardens of Monte Palacio.
And some general advice: check the opening days / hours first! I would
suggest, first thing after your arrival, to pay a visit to the
Tourist Information Office in the center of Funchal for some maps and
information about places to see, public transportation, and gardens.

I totally agree about the Blandy Gardens, and suggest that you also
visit the market in Funchal, good variety of bulbs etc, and they do seem
to grow OK here, well I've got Agapanthus in flower, and they seem to be
hardy, also bought Gloxinias.

Mike
www.british-naturism.org.uk