Jardins de Martinique

A feeling of freedom

The story of the gardens of Martinique began long before the European colonialisation of the island and has been added to over the centuries by the arrival – both voluntary and forced – of men and women from different continents, bringing plants with them. For a long time, these gardens enabled the population to survive and maintain connections to their roots, something that would leave a lasting mark on Martiniquan culture.

But it is the extraordinary nature that has been at least as influential on the way gardeners work. Generous, capricious and formidable, it lends itself to the boldest botanical experimentation but can also destroy a life’s work in moments. It comes as no surprise, then, that most of today’s Martiniquan gardens are relatively recent creations. These are gardens that are similar to their predecessors, whose memory is kept alive through literature, in that they are created by instinct and do not bend to any external rules. They are nonconformist, exceptionally rich gardens, which have largely contributed to the birth of the legend “Madinina, Island of Flowers”.

ISABELLE SPECHT

Isabelle Specht, who holds a doctorate in rural geography from the Université de Strasbourg, trained in garden design and creation at the École Nationale Supérieure de Paysage in Versailles. Passionate about the tropical islands on which she has lived for several years, she is the author of several publications, including Jardins de la Guadeloupe (Orphie, 2007) and Jardins de la Réunion (Orphie, 2010). Her books express her love for exuberant nature, literature and wonderful human stories.

Publication available in bookshops and at the Habitation Clément gift shop.

24 x 28.5 cm

Bound with dust jacket

304 pages

ISBN 9782357203389

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