St Barthélemy / Special Interests / Flowers & Gardens

St Barths is rocky and very dry (water has always been one of the island’s main problems) and so the vegetation tends to be scrub-like. There are no luxurious tropical forests, but rather wooded areas with a forest-like profile. The best-known plant on the island is the latanier, a tall and spiky palm that has been used traditionally in weaving. You will see straw hats and baskets woven from the palm for sale around the island. There are no formal gardens to visit in St Barths, and although many of the villas are obviously set in attractive gardens they are by and large private.

On the seashore you will see sea grape with its round leaves and occasionally manchineel (the apples of this tree are poisonous so do not touch them) and inland there are tamarind trees, flamboyants, which bloom red in the summer, and gaïacs, which were used in the construction of traditional boats.