Surround yourself with the sights, sounds, scents and beauty of a ‘secret garden’ this season on a visit to Little Compton’s Sakonnet Garden. “It’s an intimate space,” said Mikel Folcarelli, who along with partner John Gwynne tends their private garden, which covers more than an acre. “It encompasses 50 years of plant collecting, design and horticultural adventures.”

Walk through garden ‘rooms’ of high hedges, living walls and those made of stone and logs, through to a moss-carpeted space and an evergreen azalea wall they dub “flowered wallpaper.” Find the Black Border area, which holds dark-leaved plants and the Pollinator Garden, created to encourage native bees, butterflies and wasps to visit.

Other paths leading to 20-plus spots include Green and Orange gardens, the Rhododendron Punchbowl, the Silver Garden (a showstopper in June), and the Subtropical Quadrant, with large-leafed plants evoking a kind of jungle.

Previously only available to the public for a few days a year, this is their fourth year open from May through mid-October, Thursdays through Saturdays and viewable by reservation only, with a restricted number of guests at a time. Last year they welcomed about 3,000 visitors.

“It’s a very personal experience in a private garden, which is why we choose to limit how many people come in at a time,” said Folcarelli. Visitors are often greeted by the owners’ three cardigan corgis when they arrive. “It’s probably the most asked question I get,” he said. “’What kind of dogs are those?’ I need to put up a sign introducing them.”

Sakonnet Garden is co-sponsoring a plant sale with Issima, a nearby specialty nursery once again this year on May 4 at the third annual Sakonnet Plant Fair on Veterans Field in Little Compton, where a portion of proceeds will support the Brownell House.

The garden is open May 2 to Oct. 11, Thursdays through Saturdays, and reservations are required. Non-refundable tickets are $25 for a visitor’s car with driver and $20 each for additional passengers. The two ticketed time entries are 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m. Ticket reservations are available only at SakonnetGarden.net

Note: Accompanying each photo is a description written by the loving owners (and gardeners) and shared on the Sakonnet Garden website.