Land Management

Content Sections

Goal Overview:

Increase and enhance Hendersonville's green spaces while improving tree canopy cover, protecting pollinator biodiversity, promoting outdoor recreation, community gardens, and improving the overall health and character of our City. See below for actions taken to reach our goal:

Brooklyn Community Garden

Brooklyn Community Garden - Located adjacent to Sullivan Park in the historic 7th Avenue district, this community garden was started in 2011 with a partnership between the City of Hendersonville and a few dedicated community members to use City land for a community garden in the Green Meadows community. The garden has recently undergone a revitalization and expansion effort and is near completion. For more information, please visit the Brooklyn Community Garden webpage.

Biodiversity & Pollinators

                               

Programs

Mayors Monarch PledgeMayor's Monarch Pledge is a yearly commitment made by cities across multiple countries to raise awareness for the decline in the Monarch butterfly. The program is organized by the National Wildlife Federation. The pledge is taken yearly where three commitments from various categories are taken with a report on progress at the end of the year on December 1st. The three categories for actions include communications and convening, program and demonstration gardens and systems change. To view past reports, please visit this hyperlink to view past Mayor's Monarch Pledge reports.

 

Bee City logoBee City USA is a program initiated in 2015 that Hendersonville commits to yearly actions related to pollinators. These commitments include pollinator habitat, education, and policy work, among other. 

 

  • Caregivers of Mother Earth logoCaregivers of Mother Earth is a program initiated in 2023 that Hendersonville commits to yearly actions related to pollinators and youth education and enrichment.

    Pollinator Gardens

Four Seasons Blvd Pollinator Bed

Planted in 2024, this is a 1/4 acre pollinator garden located at Four Seasons Boulevard. Plants include six trees including flowering dogwood, sourwood, and serviceberry, 43 flowering shrubs including mountain laurel, and hundreds of flowers including butterfly weed, coneflowers, salvia and Joe Pye weed.

Bee Mural Pollinator Bed

These gardens feature pollinator-friendly perennials, herbs, and trees which serves as a working demonstration plot for the community. Plants are labeled so that visitors can reference the types of plants they may install in their own gardens and yards to protect and nourish pollinators.

Main St. Pollinator Trees & Shrubs

Hendersonville’s Main Street is a linear tree-lined park that supports our pollinator friends. A walk along both sides of the street allows you to enjoy flowering trees, native shrubs, and colorful flowers. You’ll see flowering magnolias, smoke tree, and fringe tree along with grasses and shrubs such as laurels and azalea. 

Wes Burlingame GardenThis garden, maintained by Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway, features more than 74 varieties of native shrubs, trees, grasses, wildflowers, and ferns all labeled to educate visitors passing by. Plants include Bee balm, Black eyed susan, Joe pye weed, Swamp milkweed, Beautyberry and much more. The garden celebrates the life of Westcott “Wes” Burlingame III, a local nurseryman, lecturer, and environmentalist who died in 2019.

Bearcat Loop Pollinator Beds & Trees

Over 80 trees are planted here along with 7 raised beds along Bearcat Loop. Among these plantings you’ll find pawpaw, sourwood, carolina silverbell as well as perennial favorites including milkweed, mountain mint, goldenrod, cardinal flower, black-eyed susan, joe-pye weed and more.

Brooklyn stream restoration

Completed in 2024, the Brooklyn Creek restoration project combined ecological restoration with community benefit by enhancing Sullivan Park, increasing habitat diversity, and providing long-term stormwater management improvements. Pollinator plants include Narrowleaf Mountainmint, Blackeyed Susan, Showy Goldenrod, Zigzag Spiderwort, Golden Zizia, Silky Dogwood, Silky Willow, Black Willow, Carolina Willow, Ninebark, River Birch, Sycamore, Black Gum, and many more.

Before & After:

Hendersonville's Brooklyn Creek restoration named 2025 Stormwater Project of the YearHendersonville's Brooklyn Creek restoration named 2025 Stormwater Project of the Year

Mud Creek restoration to mitigate flooding in downtown Hendersonville

Grove Street Park will be the site of the Lower Mud Creek Floodplain Restoration project focuses on reducing flooding and restoring natural floodplain functions along Mud Creek in the southside of Hendersonville. Utilizing two City-owned parcels totaling 27 acres, the initiative will reconnect floodplains, restore over 2,000 linear feet of first-order streams, stabilize 1,500 linear feet of Mud Creek streambank, and enhance approximately 20 acres of wetlands and riparian areas. Various edible and pollinator plants will be added including Paw Paw, Elderberry, Blueberry, Persimmon, and various native wildflowers.