The Big Bay Beat: Madness or Genius, Keppel Croft Gardens are One of a Kind

Learn how the Keppel Croft Gardens came to be, and what they offer visitors today.

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION

When Dawn and Bill Loney bought what is known today as Keppel Croft Gardens in 1977, the property had been vacant for 14 years. Aside from apples, the garden area had no trees.

There was no water, electricity, kitchen, or bathroom. Their new home—comprised of two old houses joined together and in various states of disrepair—was home to a multitude of raccoons, groundhogs, and skunks, but it had a good roof and a good set of stairs.

People thought they were mad. 

But Dawn and Bill had a plan. They bought the cheapest farm they could find (the last in the book!) and continued to work remotely… though not in the way we define that now. Working far from home, where they couldn’t spend, and restoring the property one room at a time (without power in the earliest days), they set about their farm life dream.

In five years, when they’d paid off the mortgage, they planted a magnolia tree in celebration. 

Sitting in the grounds behind the home today, I can scarcely imagine a Keppel Croft without trees. Chipmunks frolic about, and Bill takes the blame for their healthy population, having planted sweet white acorn and black walnut trees early on.

The magnolia tree, or the mortgage tree as they call it, is stunning. I wonder at the marvel of buying this piece of absolute paradise and being thought mad at the time.

Much has changed at Keppel Croft over the last 47 years. While I have not known Dawn and Bill the entire time, I cannot imagine that they have, in fact, changed much. They are warm, gracious, and always open to possibility. As we sit out back and discuss the variety of trees, the milestones some were planted for, and what it is to make a home, to be part of a community, they reminisce about the early days of Keppel Croft.

Photos: Nicole Egan

Without power for many months, Bill would shower and shave at the school where he taught. Their first winter saw 12 feet of snowfall just in January alone. The cold (36 below that year, at times) didn’t put them off at all; they’d been lucky enough to live in the Arctic, after all. Winter in Big Bay was nothing—they barely shovelled the laneway, opting for toboggans from the top of the lane! 

I asked about opening the gardens and the plant sales, and like all good, serendipitous realities, Dawn says it wasn’t a plan at all.

Bill had always liked raising plants, and when he didn’t get all his seedlings planted, he’d bring them to school. Then came the roadside sign for plant sales, and with it, an English couple who were so complimentary about their plants. Bill and Dawn simply glowed with the praise… until the couple sought a shovel to dig their preferred plants!

For those who don’t know, digging is not, in fact, the way that plant sales at Keppel Croft work. You’ll find seedlings and cuttings for sale (at what this author can only describe as ludicrously low prices!) at the top of the laneway, near the donation box. The suggested donation is $5 to roam the gorgeous gardens, once more a steal of a deal in my view.

What’s clear as we meander down memory lane is that Dawn and Bill love this place, and they love the surrounding community. Once they were the young newbies just getting to know their elderly neighbours, gardening away, and open to help from international students and WWOOFers (worldwide opportunities on organic farms). They hosted guests as a bed and breakfast, ran events to showcase local artists (who remembers the fabulous Art in the Garden?!), and built lifelong relationships with neighbours, visitors and volunteers at the garden.

Today, they and the beautiful space they’ve created at Keppel Croft are an integral piece of the fabric of Big Bay, and in their words (not mine) they are now those elderly neighbours.

Today’s tree-covered paradise for chipmunks is made possible by Dawn and Bill’s dedication and their seemingly endless energy, as well as that of dedicated volunteers, known as the Green Thumbers. Keppel Croft is a founding member of the Rural Gardens of Grey & Bruce Network. 

If you’ve never been, go – if you’ve been before, go again. If you’ve made it to the donation box, might I suggest the heartiest donation you can find. Keppel Croft is magical; long may it continue!

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