BK Landscaping Update
The New Gazebo!
Of course, everyone is wondering when the new gazebo is going up… Unfortunately, the very significant spring rains slowed things down considerably, but we got an update from our builder and it looks like the new gazebo construction might be done by the end of July!
The Loss & Removal Of Our Ash Trees
Last summer we were saddened to lose many mature ash trees in the backyard of the BackKitchen.Fortunately, the grant from Loyalist Township also included funding for native garden landscaping in the backyard of the Back Kitchen. However, the trees had to be cut down and removed first….
We are grateful to D.B Tree Services who felled 6 large dead ash trees for a very generous price. But that left many logs as well as a huge tangle of branches and brush to be cleared away!It took a couple of months and many hours of volunteer time to clear up and take away most of the brush.
Finally, Noel McCormick came to the rescue and removed all the large logs that remained and John Glenn did a super job of removing all the ash tree stumps for us! Thank you to the volunteers who helped with the clearing of logs and branches and to DB Tree Service, Noel, and John Glenn for supporting the Back Kitchen!!!
Finally The Landscaping Begins!
Once the trees and brush were cleared away, our native plant landscaping could finally begin. The loss of our ash tree canopy provided an opportunity to fill the backyard with native species to attract and encourage birds and pollinators.
We worked with Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery to find trees, shrubs and perennials that were particularly suited to our Island climate and soil conditions. The overall backyard landscaping plan can be seen on the lot plan below (zoom in for more detail). Highlights of our new backyard include a new “no-mow” zone planted with native trees and shrubs, and 3 new native gardens!
A No-Mow Zone
At the back of the property (shaded in brown on the lot plan) is our no-mow zone. In the zone we have planted 27 native trees and shrubs that should do well in Island conditions. The trees include silver maple, Freeman’s maple, basswood, burr oak, redbud, white spruce, American hazelnut, honey locust and shagbark hickory.Shrubs include pagoda and red osier dogwood, high bush cranberry, witch hazel, meadowsweet, serviceberry, arrow wood, and black elderberry. Each tree/shrub has been individually labelled, mulched, fenced and collared by our great team of volunteers.
A Large Pentagonal Garden
The largest of our new native gardens has a pentagonal shape and is just north of the parking lot. In this pentagonal garden we have used a number of the big ash logs to form a cozy seating area in the middle. Surrounding this central seating area is a garden containing many large native shrubs (including meadowsweet, nine bark, maple leaf viburnum, high bush cranberry, purple flowing raspberry, bush honeysuckle and downy skullcap).
In addition to these shrubs, smaller native perennials have been planted which will fill in the understory as the garden matures. In a few years time, this inner seating area should be completely surrounded by good-sized native shrubs and will be a wonderful quiet space for conversation or contemplation and enjoying a Back Kitchen meal.
A Full-Sun Native Garden
This garden lies just to the east of the gazebo location and contains many interesting sun-loving natives such as bee balm (monarda/bergamot), orange butterfly milkweed, cardinal flower, bottle gentian, great lobelia, wild senna, royal catchfly, little redhead, and more. And a native called “rattlesnake master” …which we had to get just because of the name!
A Shade Garden Tucked Behind The Building…
We ordered and picked up our new native plants before the lost the ash tree canopy. So once the backyard shade was gone, we decided to create a small garden that was shaded by the Back Kitchen building itself. You will find this just next to the propane tanks. In here we have planted great lobelia, spikenard, great waterleaf, mayapple, wood poppy, and 3 types of native fern – wood fern, maidenhair fern, and lady fern.
Stop By & Check Out Our New Garden Spaces!
The great news is that all of our new plantings survived the winter and spring well and are now thriving! Please stop by and check everything out!
And finally, a special thank you and shout out to Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery in Frankford, Ontario. A wonderful nursery with amazing stock and a tremendous love of what they do. They embraced the idea of our community-owned restaurant and gave us great prices and wonderful advice!
Thank you to our wonderful team of volunteers who continue to help keep the Back Kitchen grounds looking beautiful!
See you soon,
The Back Kitchen Team