An insider’s look at how the authors designed Sakonnet Garden, a magical and immersive two-acre oasis that’s become a cult favorite for plant and garden enthusiasts.

A fantastical wonderland in Little Compton, Rhode Island, Sakonnet Garden was crafted bit by bit out of a thicket on the owners’ small piece of land. What’s emerged is an innovative design of garden rooms and creative plantings that enrich the boundaries of what a small sustainable garden can be. 

In a blend of garden writing and plant vignettes, the text illuminates the garden as a living, breathing creation, continually evolving. The authors’ keen observations on plant growing and collecting take us into the seasonal rhythms of maintenance and their ongoing experiments in design.

A key tenet of the garden is to be a home for pollinators year-round. The imaginative design of year-round outdoor spaces, combined with the mixed native and exotic plantings, increases biodiversity in every season. 

Sakonnet Garden plays with space and scale, creating a sensory experience for the visitor and providing revelatory proof of the types of plantings that can thrive on the New England coast. The book offers a trove of the authors’ knowledge and experience, combined with transporting imagery, to inspire everyone who loves plants, gardening, and design.

About The Author

John Gwynne is a landscape architect who most recently has served as VP of Design at the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Bronx. Mikel Folcarelli is an interior designer and has worked as VP of Design at Polo Ralph Lauren, Studio Sofield, and Starwood Hotels. Brian Reyes is a photographer and fashion designer who is published in Vogue Living, The New York Times, and Elle Décor, among others. Garden guru Margaret Roach has a regular garden column in The New York Times and is the author of four gardening books. Emily Thompson is an acclaimed floral designer and the author of an eponymous book.