If you’ve wandered through Murfree Springs lately and you’ve spotted the colorful flags dotted around the pond near the parking lot, you’re probably wondering what that’s all about. Something is quietly in the process of transformation, and it’s more than just a new garden.
Outdoor Murfreesboro’s natural resources team is in the midst of a large-scale native plant restoration, replacing ornamental plants with hardy Tennessee natives that support the local ecosystem.
The vision? A garden that works with nature instead of against it—nearly 4,000 square feet designed to nourish pollinators, shelter wildlife, feed birds, and inspire the community. Over 1,400 plants are being introduced in carefully planned phases. Each species was chosen for beauty, resilience and purpose, from blooming perennials to plants that can hold their own in floods or droughts.
Through Murfreesboro’s Indigenous Plants Project (MIPP) and with help from South Eastern Grasslands Initiative, many of the plants were grown from locally collected seeds—meaning their growth cycle is in sync with our local pollinators.
Because the pond serves as a refuge for turtles, frogs and fish, the team can’t use fertilizers, herbicides or even mulch, all of which could disrupt water chemistry and harm wildlife.
“It’s a challenge,” says Andra Prewett, a member of the city’s natural resources team, “but it’s worth it. On the day we installed the orange butterfly milkweed into the native garden, a monarch butterfly laid an egg on the milkweed before we could even get it out of the container. If you build it,” she says, “they will come!”
For longtime visitors, the changes may have raised eyebrows, especially when trees were removed in the natural area across from the garden. But the cleared vegetation wasn’t native.
“That area was 90% invasive honeysuckle, privet and mimosa,” Prewett explains. “They offer little value to wildlife, and crowd out valuable native species.”
Eliminating invasive species is a key part of the city’s long-term biodiversity strategy. It’s not just about the plants, it’s about the domino effect they create. With native flora come native insects, which feed local birds. Healthy plant cover improves water retention and removing invasive plants can even help reduce tick and mosquito populations.
“We’ve already seen species like penstemon and fleabane returning to the landscape. It’s like uncovering buried treasure,” she continues.
None of this work happens alone.
“The Tennessee Naturalist Program and the Master Gardeners of Rutherford County have been essential in keeping the momentum of the Native Garden and Murfree Spring project going,” Prewett says. “We’re also lucky to have the support and expertise of the team at the Stones River National Battlefield, as we strategize the management of our natural areas, and support from the MTSU Department of Biology for help with field identification and propagation strategies of native plants. We all have a common goal of keeping Murfreesboro healthy, beautiful and biodiverse.”
There are plenty of ways for residents to help—from signing up to volunteer through Outdoor Murfreesboro to simply planting native species in their own yards. Every native plant or backyard milkweed patch creates a corridor for wildlife. If you spot a rare insect or bird, share it on the social network iNaturalist; your observations help document the impact of this restoration in real time.
With fall plantings coming next in Phase III, the garden is still growing. But the signs are clear: what was once ornamental is becoming essential. What once looked like disruption is blooming into something far richer. At Murfree Spring, the future is native, and it’s already taking root.
Explore the Murfree Spring Wetlands at 460 SE Broad St.
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Photos by Ashleigh Newnes
