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Keppel Croft Gardens
About Keppel Croft
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Come and explore Keppel Croft Gardens at Big Bay, on the beautiful Bruce Peninsula.
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We have four acres of gardens, a nature trail, an arboretum, and Keppel Henge.
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Enjoy your picnic at one of our numerous picnic spots.
​​​​​Days and Hours​​
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Wednesday through Sunday, and Holiday Mondays : 10 am - 5 pm
May 16th - October 12th, 2026
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Contact us for after hours visiting and photography sessions. The light is so beautiful outside of visiting hours!
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​Entrance $5 per person. Children free.
Dogs on a lead are welcome.
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Contact
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Bill and Dawn Loney
Georgian Bluffs, Ontario
N0H 2T0
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519·534·1090
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Website renovations made with support from Jennie Hoekstra.
Our Garden Journal
Occasional entries about our gardening
endeavours at Keppel Croft.​​​
May 1
We tried out No Mow May two years ago.
Forget-me-nots and white English daisies took over two lawn areas. Bill mowed trails through the flowers as our guests didn't want to step on the flowers. We were delighted with the effortless displays.
The daisies and Forget-me-nots were all self sown. As we did not mow the grass until the end of May lots of seeds were produced for the display in the next year. The area of blooms expanded last year.
We didn't mow the lawns as soon as we should have last May. The Forget-me-nots faded away and looked unkempt. This spring is so cold and late but we hope for another lovely display...and a month of not mowing!
May 6
I used to think all daffodils were yellow. How wrong that was! It is the beginning of the daffodil season now and the variety of colour and shapes is quite astonishing. Here are a few of the early daffs in bloom at the moment.
May 7
It is the beginning of the magnolia season. Bill planted the seed of this magnolia years ago. It is one of several white magnolias in the garden. The city of Owen Sound has many beautiful mature magnolias that look wonderful at this time of spring.
When we paid off mortgage 50 years ago we celebrated with a champagne breakfast on the patio and planted this magnolia. A build up of ice slowly creeping off the roof in the winter reinforces the lean of the tree,
This photo is from last year. Two black squirrels have taken to nipping off the buds. Promising buds litter the patio, The tree is stripped of blooms. This has never happened before. Have you any solutions?
May 8
Oh, no! It was inevitable. On Friday we got our first Black fly bites.
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Last year I bought a bottle of lavender spray to use as bug deterrent. I will buy another this season. It works for me!
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Many lavender products are available at Bluewater Lavender Farm in Wiarton.
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Annual Wiarton Lavender Festival to be held July 25 and 26 at Bluewater Park.
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https://www.bluewaterlavender.com
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May 11
In today's sunshine there was a sparkling dispaly in the barnyard of blue and while anemones. They are self seeded, escaping from the garden behind the rail fence. The patch grows larger each year.
Our Garden Guest Book
Our Guest Book
Absolutely divine. Whimsy and nature, rocks, stones, pottery and all of nature's beauty​.​
Linda L., Owen Sound
​​So special a place, twenty five years visiting and still so beautiful in its aging prime.
S. Rodrigues. Toronto
In June in 2025 we found an unexpected potted shrub by the workshop. In the Guest Book we found this comment:
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​The Daphne is a gift from Gwynn and Jana in thanks for your hospitality last year. We have had a lovely time in your garden today. I hope you can find a space for the Daphne and that it does well for you. Gwynn and Jana.
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Thanks, Gwynn and Jana. We planted your Daphne by the patio edge. Come and enjoy the scent in the spring. It's doing well this spring. Thanks again.​​
Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties
We are founding members of Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties. Visit the RGGB website featuring our member gardens for information about each garden, gardening advice from experienced people and for special events offered by our members: www.ruralgardens.ca/​
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