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A garden amongst gardens Flowers and plants from the four corners of the world can be admired at the centuries-old gardens of Quinta do Palheiro Nos jardins centenários da Quinta do Palheiro é possível admirar flores e plantas dos quatro cantos do mundo TEXT RÚBEN CASTRO
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he gardens surrounding Quinta do Palheiro are imbued with colour between November and May. And a lot of it comes from the 1,500 or so varieties of camellias that punctuate the shades of green that cover the gardens. The history of some of these is almost as old as that of the estate. The first specimens found their way there, from 1804 onward by the hand of João José Sá Machado, who would be the first earl of Carvalhal, the richest man in Portugal at the time, and one of the most influential people in 19th century Madeira. Carvalhal had chosen the mountains of Palheiro Ferreiro to build what would become his first holiday estate due to it being 'a relatively flat parcel of land' which could house 'recreational parks of an ambitious
scale', explains Manuel Teixeira, manager of the gardens at Quinta do Palheiro. Two hundred years gone by, the majestic camellia corner also features the Japanese camellia, brought to the archipelago by the earl. Nowadays, these live in harmony amongst king proteas, bunya pines, common limes, and Californian sequoias, but also with species indigenous to Madeira, like the tilde and the Canary laurel. This small haven is located in the mountains of Funchal, some 500 metres above the level of the sea, and is divided into six areas. In the area between the Main Garden and the Lady's Garden, there is a baroque chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Here, one can also breathe camellias, while simultaneously enjoying the contrast www.essential-madeira.com 10
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ntre novembro e maio, os jardins à volta da Quinta do Palheiro ganham outra cor. E muito fica a dever-se às cerca de 1.500 variedades de camélias que quebram os vários tons de verde que cobrem os jardins. A história de algumas delas é quase tão antiga como a da quinta. Os primeiros exemplares encontraram ali o seu lugar, a partir de 1804, pela mão de João José Sá Machado, que viria a ser o primeiro conde de Carvalhal, o homem mais rico de Portugal à época e uma das personalidades mais influentes da Madeira do século XIX. O conde de Carvalhal tinha escolhido as montanhas do Palheiro Ferreiro para construir aquela que viria a ser a sua casa de férias, por se tratar de uma “extensão de terreno relativamente plana” que poderia albergar “parques de recreio em escala ambiciosa”,
