Behind an 180-year-old limestone Georgian home in Kingston, Ontario, something unexpected was waiting beneath the snow.

When Scott Henderson and Dan Chippier purchased the historic Muckleston House in early 2022, they envisioned a tidy, established garden like the one shown in the real estate photos. But come spring, reality thawed into something a little less charming: a backyard buried in concrete.

So they rolled up their sleeves, picked up a crowbar, and began the transformation—turning a paved yard into a personal Eden.

Muckleston House was built in 1843 by hardware merchant Samuel Muckleston, back when Kingston was the capital of the United Province of Canada. Inspired by the period and setting, Scott and Dan envisioned a compact English-style garden to complement the home's Georgian bones.

Out went the cement. In came a stone wall with a trickling waterfall. A circular dining patio. A cedar deck. Flagstone paths that gently wind. A proper entrance to a downstairs pub—because every English garden deserves a bit of drama.

By spring 2023, the first plants were in the ground. And with time, care, and a bit of Black Sheep magic, the garden began to take on its own character—structured but lush, formal yet deeply personal.

Today, the garden overflows with life. More than 100 species now fill the beds—grasses, climbers, pollinator magnets, deep shade dwellers, flowering groundcovers, and statement trees. There’s something blooming in every season and a surprise tucked into every corner.

“There’s a lot packed into a tiny space,” says Scott. “But we love that it looks like it’s been there for years.”

This is the first in our new Monthly Feature Garden series. We believe the best gardens aren’t always the biggest or fanciest—they’re the ones with stories, with soul. Gardens born of rescue, reinvention, or sheer stubborn love.

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Send us your photos. Tell us your garden story—what it was, what it’s become, and what it means to you. Each month, we’ll showcase a new space to inspire others across Ontario and Quebec.