Get Paid To Plant: Town Of North Hempstead Offering $350 For Native Gardens

TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD, NY — Calling all residents with a green thumb – the Town of North Hempstead will offer a $350 rebate to residents who plant a native species or rain garden at home.

This rebate program has helped create approximately 140 new native plant gardens throughout the Town of North Hempstead.

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said the program helps make it easy for residents to take part in sustainability right in their own backyards. She added that it's important to preserve native plants and gardens.

"North Hempstead is an ecological gem, but our pollinators are in decline, so cultivating a native plant garden in your yard can have a substantial and lasting impact on these invaluable species," she said.

Native gardens provide food, shelter, and nesting resources for pollinators and wildlife species on Long Island. They also do not require fertilizer and are low-maintenance.

One other benefit these gardens provide is as a vital habitat for monarch butterflies, which are threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Town of North Hempstead has taken the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge every year since 2018.

To receive the rebate, residents will have to complete an application that includes:

• Proposed garden size.
• Plant list.
• Photos of the planting location.
• Basic garden layout.

TONH said funding is limited so applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until Oct. 1, or until funding is exhausted, whichever occurs first. Unfortunately, if a resident has already received a rebate in the past, they are not eligible to apply until May 1, 2026.

Residents can find more information online or call 311 or 516-869-6311.