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Keppel Croft Gardens

A horticultural treasure on the Bruce Peninsula

Big Bay, Ontario

Hours and Admission

 

About Keppel Croft

Opening again in May 2023.

Come and explore Keppel Croft Gardens at Big Bay on the beautiful Bruce Peninsula. 

We have four acres of gardens, a nature trail, an arboretum, and Keppel Henge.

Bring a picnic and enjoy our award-winning country gardens.

Days and Hours

 

Beginning in May 2023 Keppel Croft will be open:

Wednesday through Sunday,  Holiday Mondays

10 am - 5 pm

Contact us for after hours visiting and photograph sessions. The light is so beautiful outside of visiting hours!

Contact

Bill and Dawn Loney

504156 Grey Road 1 

Georgian Bluffs, Ontario

N0H 2T0

519·534·1090

keppelcroft@gmail.com 

Basket Making Workshop

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Donna Pasman has been weaving baskets for over 31 years. She has taken courses at the Haliburton School of Fine Arts and the Civic Garden Centre. She has participated in workshops conducted by the basket weavers from P.E.I, British Columbia, and in the United States.

 

She has taught basket weaving through the Basketry Network, the Girl Guides of Canada and the York Board of Education's Intergenerational Program.  You might already have met Donna at Art in the Garden at Keppel Croft Gardens.

An Early Autumn Workshop

Come and enjoy a workshop amid Fall colours under the crab apple tree on the patio

Saturday, September 30th from 10am to 4 pm.

Basket weaver Donna Pasman will guide you through the creation 

of your own woven basket  You have a choice of two basket designs.

 

 

 

 

Workshop fee: $25.  Materials included.

For more information or to register contact Dawn Loney at keppelcroft@gmail.com

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An August  One-of-a-Kind Bachelorettes Workshop

 

Recently Melissa invited her bachelorette group for an afternoon workshop.

Each member wove a basket and then made a wildflower arrangement to complete the project. 

Lots of chatter and laughter during the construction of the flower arrangement basket and, as you can see, many smiles of satisfaction from the new

basket weavers!

Summer Solstice, 2023
Celebrated at Keppel Henge

On Wednesday, June 21st the Summer Solstice occurred. The B.luewater Astronomical Society held a celebration of this annual event at Keppel Henge. Visitors were invited to come in the late morning to enjoy a stroll around the gardens before a picnic lunch. Tai Chi clubs from Owen Sound and Thornbury exercised in the Henge. 

 

The Bluewater Astronomical Society presented an explanation of the Henge and the summer solstice. There was lots of  opportunity for solar observing through the solar telescopes that members of the society brought to the Henge. Thanks to the Bluewater Astronomical Society for sharing their enthusiam with everyone..

Read more about Keppel Henge at these sites:

                                                                               http://www.steveirvine.com/henge.html

                                                                                 https://www.rrampt.com/the-true-magic-of-keppel-henge-35277

                                                                                 https://seasonsinthevalley.blogspot.com/2013/07/keppel-henge.html

                                                                                 https://www.mysundial.ca/sotw/sotw_canada_keppel.htm

                                                                                  https://www.steveirvine.com/sundial.html

                                                                                  https://sundials.org/index.php/sundial-registry/onedial/467
 

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A Difficult Decision

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When we bought our property in 1977 there were very few trees near the house or in what was to become the garden area. Instead, our house was surrounded by the stark dead trunks and branches of numerous elms, including our locally famous twin elm trees. Until the Dutch Elm disease gradually killed them, American Elms used to be very common in this part of Ontario. Shortly after we bought the farm, an arborist cut down the twin elm trees as with their huge falling limbs they looked likely to live up to their widow maker reputation. One stump was 54" in diameter, the other was 52".

 

When Bill built the pit greenhouse there was a sapling of an American Elm growing on the north side of the greenhouse. We were delighted when it grew to be a splendid addition to the garden. We took care of this tree and kept it well mulched with grass clippings and compost.  In recent years we noticed that our elm was failing. We put off making the fateful decision but in November 2022, we realized we couldn't delay this any longer.

 

We contracted Parker Wallace Tree Service from Kemble to remove the elm. The limbs will be firewood. Bill plans to make a garden feature of the slices of the trunk in situ. It will be a strange feeling not having this gracious tree with us in the 2023 season. It has been such a pleasure to work in the propagating area with musical accompaniment from birds in the elm. Where will the orioles and cat birds go to sing? 

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      Our website is being updated. Changes are planned! It's still a work in slow progress.

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