The Belcoua at the Jardin de Balata
For the Rendez-vous aux Jardins 2026, the Jardin de Balata celebrates 40 years of public access with a theme that resonates with its DNA: sight. RICHÈS KARAYIB follows the Belcoua family on a tour of Martinique’s Remarkable Gardens. That day, between royal palms, giant bamboos and panoramic views over the bay of Fort-de-France, they discovered that a garden can also be contemplated like a living painting.
Émile and Jocelyne Belcoua enter a driveway lined with royal palms that seem to caress the sky. Their grandson Kévin walks between them, at the same leisurely pace. To the left, ferns stretch out; to the right, a bush of bromeliads bursts with color. Above, light filters through the foliage and caresses the mossy trunks. The walk hasn’t really begun, but in a way it has already taken place… in that first feeling of calm that descends on the shoulders.
It is precisely this way of inhabiting the gaze that the estate intends to share on June 6 and 7, during the 2026 edition of the Rendez-vous aux Jardins in Martinique, this year under the theme of the view. A theme that particularly resonates with the identity of the site, where tropical nature unfolds over four hectares in panoramas, perspectives and successive wonders.
The Jardin de Balata, an open-air painting
“Jean-Philippe Thoze wanted to create a living, life-size painting to create emotion for visitors,” says Rebecca Jean-Charles, director of Jardin de Balata.
It was in his grandmother’s Creole home that this horticulturist, landscape gardener and artist began to compose his secret garden. Four years later, he opened the doors to the public.
In 2026, the venue celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Four hectares, over 3,000 tropical species patiently assembled: porcelain roses, hibiscus, heliconias, anthuriums, rare orchids, flamboyant bromeliads. But what sets the Jardin de Balata garden apart is the way in which everything has been put together.
“No matter where you stand, you always have this height, this depth, these different colors that have been arranged to give a real work of art,” Rebecca Jean-Charles points out.
“It’s like looking at an open-air painting.”
It is this artist’s eye for plants that has earned the Jardin de Balata its “Jardin Remarquable” label, awarded by the French Ministry of Culture. In addition to its botanical collection, this label recognizes the singularity of a landscape composition conceived as a work of art.
Forty years since the view
Émile takes his time. Jocelyne stops in front of each flower, moves her hand closer without putting it down, observes the veins of a leaf. Kévin walks at their pace, attentive, lingering in front of a tall bamboo tree whose culms rattle gently in the breeze.
“This feeling of well-being has never wavered,” confides Carole Quarteron, sales manager at Jardin de Balata, who has worked here for 36 years.
“The garden remains as soothing as ever. After 40 years, it hasn’t changed a bit.”
The secret of this durability undoubtedly lies in one word: resilience.
“This garden teaches us patience and resilience. We’ve been through a lot here,” says Carole Quarteron, who recalls without dwelling on the passage of cyclone Dean in 2007, a time when the garden was ransacked, trees fell by the hundreds, and the teams had to rebuild everything.
Even today, they’re the ones who keep the place going.
“The gardeners manage to keep the soul of the garden alive and preserve the legacy left by Monsieur Thoze,” says Rebecca Jean-Charles.
The passage of time has only added to the grace of the place: the trunks of the royal palms, now clothed in moss and epiphytes, tell a long, silent story to the attentive visitor.
The view walks, the gaze wanders
“The view only wanders here. The view works,” sums up Carole Quarteron, in a phrase that says it all.
“Every step, in every alley, will dazzle the eye.”
The Belcoua make their way along the giant bamboo alley, a veritable green cathedral with columns reaching skyward.
Further on, the garden opens onto the bromeliad zone, where dozens of varieties in shades of red, yellow and violet create a plant marquetry between tree ferns.
The invitation to visitors is clear: “Raise your eyes to the sky, look up at the palm trees, discover things above”, as Carole Quarteron puts it.
And then look down, observe the moss-covered ground, follow the silhouette of a red heliconia standing like a flame.
And then, at a bend in the road, take in the plunging view over the bay of Fort-de-France. On fine days, the Pitons du Carbet add their silhouette to the panorama.
“We have a view over the bay of Fort-de-France. We’re in a very special place,” smiles Carole Quarteron.
In the Jardin de Balata, wildlife is part of the picture.
“Hummingbirds are the stars of the garden,” says Rebecca Jean-Charles.
These tiny birds, present in great numbers, suspend their flight above the flowers, a magical moment for those who know how to stop and look.
Rendez-vous aux Jardins 2026: stop, relax, look around with the family
At a time when we talk a lot about reconnection without always knowing where to look for it, Jardin de Balata offers a simple and complete answer.
“The Balata garden teaches us to get closer to nature, to reconnect with the simple things that are essential, to recharge our batteries,” explains Rebecca Jean-Charles.
“When visitors come here, they are dazzled by all the beautiful things nature has to offer.”
It’s also a place deeply rooted in Martinique’s heritage. For Carole Quarteron, the challenge is for the whole of Martinique to take ownership of this place and continue to come and discover it.
As much a natural heritage as a cultural one, the Jardin de Balata welcomes both the Martiniquais who return season after season and visitors from further afield, all of whom leave with the same sense of calm in their eyes.
“Our aim is to give everyone the chance to stop, sit back and take a look,” concludes Carole Quarteron.
For Émile, Jocelyne and Kévin, the journey continues, with more gardens to discover. But in the Jardin de Balata, the invitation is clear: come back again and again. And may it last another forty years and beyond.
📌 IN PRACTICE
Rendez-vous aux Jardins 2026 – Jardin de Balata
📅 Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026
📍 Route de Balata, 97234 Fort-de-France, Martinique
🕘 Open all year round, from 9am to 6pm (last admission at 4:30pm)
🌿 Self-guided tour – allow 1h30 to 2h for the walk
An exploration by RICHÈS KARAYIB for Rendez-vous aux Jardins 2026, in partnership with the Direction des Affaires Culturelles (DAC) de Martinique.
