Horticultural tour: the island of Madeira

This week on The Horti-Culturalists come with us on a journey to the remote and magical island of Madeira where Stephen recently lead a horticultural tour. The island has a host of endemic plants which Stephen was thrilled to see in the wild, including some very popular plants in cultivation like Echium and Geranium maderense. But you'll have to watch the whole video to find out which plant was the highlight of his trip!
We'll also visit the wonderful Quinta da Boa Vista orchid nursery and The Monte Palace Tropical garden: montepalacemad...
If you'd like to find out more about the tours that Stephe hosts you can here: www.asatours.c...
The plants we talk specifically about in this video are:
Semele androgyna
Erica arborea
Dendrobium loddigesii
Strongylodon macrobotrys - the Jade Vine
Daucus decipiens
Geranium maderense
Echium
Globularia salicina
Ruscus streptophyllus
Cyathea cooperi now Sphaeropteris cooperi
Vaccinium padifolium
Laurobasidium lauri
And if you're interested in learning more about rare and interesting plants you could the Royal Horticultural Society of Victoria here: www.rhsv.org.au/

[@markusjahnichen7585]

I still haven't figured out if I watch your films for the plants or the unique commentary. But I love it.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching either way!

[@sannaericditsler4034]

You guys are making very interesting videos and are charming also.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@MarcAotearoa]

Another great video. I love Stephen’s botanical/horticultural knowledge and passion

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@angelaobrien7698]

Thank you for an extremely informative and interesting video. Love your channel.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@daniellegrows2498]

This was an amazing video thank you so much for taking the time to share it with us.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Glad you enjoyed it! Regards jStephen

[@kimmyj1512]

Thanks!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Welcome - and thank you!

[@joanne-et6pm]

Thanks Stephen & Matt really natural island but my favourite the pink geranium glad u got to find the ruckus in fruit how exciting for u bet that made ur day Stephen I'll also look up utube the monte palace T garden to view it in more detail Thanks Guys Happy gardening 🌸

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@hilkkahirvonen4831]

Oh my😮 your video just popped on my screen !! As I’ve just been reminiscing about my past. I was in Madeira in 1958 with my parents on our way to Australia from Finland !! I was only 10 but I remember getting off the Ship 🚢 & some one gave my sister & I a special shaped Straw Hat, alas I no longer have it! I know this is nothing to do with ‘plants’ but this meant something special to me at this moment ❤

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Glad you enjoyed it! Regards Stephen

[@grandmothergoose]

I'd LOVE to see a video about our quarantine system and how it all works, that would be fascinating. Love your videos because I'm either learning information I actually want to learn, I'm vicariously visiting parts of the world I'll never get to see myself, and often discovering delightful plants I didn't know existed. The only problem is that I have now watched every video you have released, some of them more than once, and now I just have to wait for Fridays, which has made Friday the day of the week I most look forward to.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

You sweet talker you! Seriously we are so glad you enjoy our videos and sorry we can’t pump them out daily. Regards Stephen

[@WindyYucca]

Thanks for the videos here from the USA.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@sushidawgz]

Lovely video. I visited 2 years ago and much of what you said resonated and makes me want to go back asap!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

I’m leading another tour there in 2026! Regards Stephen

[@kerryjean2223]

The whole earth was watered with a mist and dew prior to the first rain and flood in the known world where men and animals had the breath of life breathed into their nostrils during the time of Noah. I'm only halfway through the video and would like to thank you for showing other parts of the world, got to love the Internet, so thank you once again.

[@kerryjean2223]

I forgot. I was wondering the soil ph in such a place?

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Generally on the acid side by the look of the Hydrangeas and the Ericas. Regards Stephen

[@Salmagundiii]

Great video as usual. There are actually several tree ferns native to the freeze-free parts of China, such as Alsophila spinulosa, but they are little known in the west. These are found as far north and inland as Sichuan.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Interesting! Thanks for watching!

[@jenjoy4353]

What beautiful gardens. I want to go there!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!

[@GardeningatDouentza]

I really enjoyed that video and Stephen's insights. Thank you for the honourable mention vis-à-vis the orchid nursery. I look forward to your video on plant importation and sanitary considerations.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks Rachel!!

[@blueberrypieology3088]

Always learning a lot from you. Thanks for another interesting video!Also looking forward to the one on quarantine. As a European (mainland) I have heard a bit about the Australian strict quarantine but hardly know anything about it.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Watch this space!

[@wanderlustnursery]

We grow Vaccinium padifolium here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. It's quite a prolific fruiter!

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Fabulous. Wish I had it here. Regards Stephen

[@wanderlustnursery]

@thehorti-culturalists Well, if you ever feel like trying seed just let us know. We have a fruit crop ripening up in the next few weeks.

[@stevenrowson4339]

Great video! I read that there had been a huge fire that had destroyed most trees on Madeira so that when Darwin visited they smelt the island from 10 miles away because of the subsequent enormous bloom of freesias.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

The first settlers set fire to the forest to clear it and it apparently burnt for seven years! Regards Stephen

[@mawkernewek]

There is a YT channel called Ethereal Light Photography who recently vlogged their 110km multi-day trek across the island of Madeira. It looks their route was very rugged and quite varied.

[@thehorti-culturalists]

Thanks for watching!