A real bath of greenery, the visit of the Habitation Clément includes a magnificent botanical discovery trail through the 16 hectares of its garden, fully equipped to better welcome the public. Labeled «Remarkable Garden» in 2015 by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the park, where a rare collection of more than 300 tropical plants is deployed, enjoys daily maintenance, respectful of the environment.
In the old garden, which adjoins the main house on the terrace side, many trees – markers of habitation in Martinique – offer a natural setting for the main house: flamboyant, tamarinds, bread or mahogany trees, mango, mummies or cursed fig trees... So many traditional essences that decorate this place of relaxation.
Created in the early 1990s, the new park took place on the industrial wasteland of the old distillery, transforming the settling ponds into water bodies. Along these ponds, a spectacular driveway of tall royal palms leads to the tropical orchard and the old beasts mill. The visit continues with a splendid palm grove rich in many species and a field of sugar cane that leads to the distillery.
Witness of the industrial past of the Habitation, a garden of machines was also installed to stage the old production tools: sugar boilers, steam engines, rolls, gears... Alongside them, the General Motors Company (GMC) locomotive and truck recall the time when the factories were supplied by rail and then by road.
As a link between the rich heritage of the place and the current era, the sculpture garden forms an open-air museum, permanently exhibiting works acquired by the Clément Foundation. Surprise effect and emotion guaranteed in front of the splendid collection that is rooted there in the vegetal decor, giving a glimpse of the major contemporary art.