Before this week of rain I’d been putting some hard labor into our back garden, digging up ferns with root systems that were crowding out other, more delicate plants. Husband pitched in too. Not one to mess around, he made short work of the ferns using a hand axe.

As a reward for my labors and to seek a bit of inspiration, I joined my friend Cheryl in Little Compton, Rhode Island, where we visited Sakonnet Garden.

While it was cloudy and drizzling when I left Concord, the weather in Little Compton featured clear blue skies and a warm sun.

The two of us wandered through a series of garden rooms, chatting and taking pictures. Sakonnet garden is like a well-designed house.

There are a variety of ceiling heights. You enter down a long “hallway” and then feel a sense of release as you enter the first room.

There are a variety of wall treatments

And they’ve furnished the place using a wide array of textures

These ferns aren’t posing any problems

And because it feels so much like a house, visitors misplace keys and glasses just like they do at home.

My friend Cheryl is a skilled photographer. You can see her magical vision of the garden here.

You can only visit the garden during its Open Days. The next one is on Saturday, June 9.