The flowers of Madeira.

I know that was tongue in cheek @Freddy but there were Narcissus in flower, along with lots of other UK favourites such as Bergenias - obviously I didn't take photos of those. Strangely in Monte Tropical Garden they had a few Northern European trees which looked good amongst the palms - they have a great eye for mixing things up. I was fascinated by the Beech/Sycamore tree being deciduous had decided that now is the winter so had shed their leaves.

As PeterS has said unexpected plants just grow as weeds there, like this Poinsettia :



Strelitzias grow on the road side, this is a cultivated one with Mrs JWK for scale:


The biggest Strelitzia I found, at first I passed it by thinking it was just another banana plant, it was over 20ft high and not in flower. I think it's Strelitzia nicolai:

 

We stayed in the Pestana Carlton Hotel - (next door to Reids) - so handy for walking into Funchal.

 

I know nothing about cruises so please don't let me influence you, the big liners coming into Funchal looked fabulous close up.

 

One of my favourites too.

None were in flower - pity.

They were selling very cheap Plumeria cuttings in the Flower Market but I declined, they look to get way too big for me. Did you try growing one?

 

I kind of thought Plumerias would get too big for me to drag in and out of my greenhouse over-winter. I wish I had space to have tried but I have over-stretched my abilities with what I brought back anyway (resting on the Hotel balcony):


Some fragrant orchids from Quinta da Boa Vista (I never even knew there were fragrant orchids), some tender stuff: Bougainvillea, Agave attenuata, Heliconia Biltai , Proteas, Strelitzia and some not so tender stuff: Agapathus, Watsonia, Arum lilies and Amaryllis.

That lot took up all of my hand luggage - just over 7kg so I couldn't have crammed any more in anyway (as the main baggage hold is kept too cold and would have killed a few of them off before I even got back to the UK).