Keppel Croft Gardens, A Horticultural Treasure on the Bruce Peninsula

Visiting Keppel Croft Gardens

Poppies volunteer in the rock garden.

Keppel Croft Gardens are open from 10 am to 5 pm, Wednesday through Sunday, as well as holiday Mondays. Keppel Croft opens on May 1st and closes after Thanksgiving in October.

Most days you will find us busy in the gardens, but always ready for a chat! Entrance is by a suggested donation of $3 per person.

We offer special Season Passes for those who visit Keppel Croft Gardens frequently. This package includes an unlimited number of passes for $50. Please contact us for further information.

Finding Keppel Croft

Keppel Croft Gardens are located just east of the village of Big Bay, at the northern tip of Grey County in south western Ontario. Big Bay is easily accessible from Wiarton or from Owen Sound along Grey County Road #1 (previously Grey Road #26) which is also called Island View Drive. Our civic addresss is 504156 Grey Road #1 (Island View Drive), Wiarton, Ontario.

Reach Owen Sound by travelling:

Highway 6 from the Golden Horseshoe, Kitchener and Guelph.
Highway 10 from Toronto.
Highway 26 from Barrie and Highway 400.
Highway 21 from Sarnia and Michigan.
Highway 23 to 89 to 6 from London.

Reach Wiarton by travelling:

Highway 6 south from Tobermory.
Highway 6 north from Owen Sound.

Here's the information for your GPS. This will bring you to our parking lot.

N 44 degrees 47.492 minutes
W 080 degrees 56.712 minutes

Relaxing at Keppel Croft

You can view Bill's paintings in the Garden Room.

Our Garden Room has a relaxing seating area and is set up for self serve beverages. Pause a while to view a selection of our garden photographs. There are numerous benches and seats throughout the gardens. Bring some friends and your picnic. Enjoy your meal al fresco at one of our picnic spots. Our splendid outhouse was included in Our Canada magazine's listing of the Ten Best Biffies of Canada!

Workshops in the Garden

Bill conducts workshops in the garden. Popular workshops have included tuffa trough construction and garden sculpture. We arrange workshops to accommodate small groups of enthusiasts at times to suit you. Contact us to arrange your group's workshop! If you have a suggestion for a workshop focus, don't hesitate to mention that.

Group Visits and Bus Tours

If your club or group would like to visit Keppel Croft Garden, please contact Dawn or Bill. We can arrange to address your group about the gardens and are happy to field your questions during your visit. We also welcome pre-arranged bus tours.

Volunteering at Keppel Croft

Our wonderful volunteers gather for coffee after working in the gardens.

Each Wednesday morning Keppel Croft volunteers work together from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Everyone is welcome. There is no age limit and no gardening experience is required. As well as working in the gardens, our volunteers have a vested interest in a community vegetable garden. Produce from this garden is shared with our volunteers throughout the season. At eleven o'clock we gather on the patio for coffee and treats. Often friends and neighbours join us then! Just bring your gardening gloves and your enthusiasm!

Art in the Garden

We are always delighted to have artists painting in our gardens.

Art in the Garden is a special one day event held on the second Saturday in July each year. This year the date will be July 10 from 10 am until 4 pm. Fifty artists will have their creations available for you to enjoy -and purchase- throughout the gardens of Keppel Croft. Admission is $3 per person.

Plant Sales

We offer a selection of plants for sale. Each season Bill grows interesting plants that catch his fancy during seed catalogue perusals in mid-winter. Small trees and shrubs are available. We also sell plants supplied by local horticulturalists: Joerg and Franzis Leiss of Living Carpet, and Nina Aprile and John Harris of Wild Things Plant Farm.

Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties

We are founding members of Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties, a network of gardens open to the public. Visit the RGGB website when you are planning your visit to Grey and Bruce Counties and discover the many garden treasures awaiting you.

...and the Weather

Check out the weather for your visit to Keppel Croft at the clear sky forecast for Keppel Henge. Of course, we provide umbrellas for those days that are less than perfect!

Contact Us

Dawn and Bill Loney, 504156 Grey Road #1, R.R.#2, Wiarton, Ontario N0H 2T0

Phone: 519 534 1090 (We are in the house after dark! Otherwise leave a message).

Email: keppelcroft@bmts.com