Pond

The advantages of a water feature as a magnet for bird-life becomes clear soon after setting foot on this desert island. In the pond there are native rushes of grass but everything else has been introduced, including the Canarian tree frogs (not native to this island) from Gran Canaria, along with an abundance of watercress. This rustic type of cress is traditionally used to make potage de berros (watercress soup) in La Gomera. We also introduced the pale green papyrus, an exotic, as it’s long firm stalks provide a great habitat for the tree frogs, wild celery and the water hyacinth, offering plenty of shade and more hiding places for fauna, whilst minimising evaporation on the surface.

The grotto (below) is an artificial version of Lanzarote’s ‘chabocos’, the sunken pits common in volcanic areas, providing a cool, shady spot in the garden with a water feature whose gentle trickle brings forth a sense of tranquility, whilst attracting birds and is also home to Suzy the tortoise.