Our gardens

The garden surrounding Hotel Tigaiga has taken shape over the last years, since 1962. It is situated on a ridge of volcanic cinders built up over a very long period of activity by the now dormant volcanic cone or fumarole at Las Arenas.

This land was acquired by Enrique Talg in 1940. Initial work on the garden entailed the construction of a massive retaining wall at the lower end of the site towards Puerto de la Cruz and a great deal of levelling. Following these preparatory works it was necessary to bring in a great quantity of fertile rock free soil to provide a suitable growing medium overlaying the inhospitable and extremely porous bed of rocks and cinders below. This mantle of fertile soil varies from 1 to 4 metres in depth. Water too, was piped to the garden from a reservoir at La Asomada about 1 km away, frequent irrigation is very important during the rainless summer months.

In 1964, Mrs Gisela Talg, wife of Don Enrique, took over the garden ad Mr. Gerry Sanders was invited to take part in its development. He had retired to Tenerife 25 years before after 38 years of rubber planting in Malaya, where he had wide interests in tropical economic crops, forestry, botany and gardening. He was a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society and a member of the Malayan Orchid Society. For may years he acted as a voluntary guide for weekly tours of the garden of the Tigaiga.

Gerald Harrison, with experience of tropical botany starting with service in the Indian Army, followed. He had spent several years on the staff of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the Museums of Economic Botany and in the Herbarium.

Señores Frank and Jenny Horder  came to Tenerife in 1992 and took over the garden tours on Wednesday morning.

Visitors to the weekly tour of the garden are always welcome, whether they are resident at the Hotel or not. For further information please ask the reception desk. 
(October 1987)