The Wylde Center Assumes Management of Candler Park's Mulberry Fields Community Garden and Greenspace

The Wylde Center, one of Atlanta’s premier environmental organizations based in Decatur, has assumed the management of Mulberry Fields Community Garden and Greenspace as of July 1, 2016. The garden becomes the fifth greenspace overseen by the Wylde Center, whose staff and volunteers will manage all aspects of the community garden including maintenance, field trips, garden plot rentals and special events. The Garden has been re-named Wylde Center-Mulberry Fields Garden. www.facebook.com/mulberryfields, www.wyldecenter.org

“Mulberry Fields is considered a sister garden to the Wylde Center’s Oakhurst Garden, and its history is very similar to our garden’s,” said Stephanie Van Parys, executive director of the Wylde Center. “In fact, Mulberry Fields’ co-founder, Jesse Bathrick, was a close friend of our late co-founder, Sally Wylde. Like Oakhurst Garden, Mulberry Fields came about because a group of neighbors wanted to preserve a special green space for the enjoyment of the community. They have done a remarkable job creating and maintaining this one-acre oasis in Candler Park, and now the Wylde Center is excited to help take their garden to the next level.”

The community will celebrate this next phase of the garden’s growth with a fun, free, family event, “Mulberry Fields Gone Wylde” on Saturday, July 16 from 5-10 p.m. The event will feature live music, local beers and beverages, food from nearby establishments, face-painting and games for the kids. “We’ll also have performances and entertainment for the whole family and a bonfire,” said Van Parys. “Donations and memberships will be accepted during the event to support the programs at Wylde Center-Mulberry Fields. We hope attendees will want to learn more about how they can help this beautiful garden thrive.”

Mulberry Fields is located at 1301 Iverson St., Atlanta, GA 30307. The property was once part of a dairy farm owned by the Talbot family. In the early 1990s, one of the remaining Talbot family members considered re-zoning the property for multifamily and commercial redevelopment. Alarmed, a group of neighbors came together to buy the acre of land, and in 1999 Jesse and Richard Bathrick founded the community garden.

“Mulberry Fields is a preserved green space in the midst of a rapidly developing intown neighborhood,” said Jesse Bathrick. “Visitors enter down an old city alley, which opens up to reveal a meadow, mulberry grove, towering old pecan trees and community garden plots. It’s a refuge for both neighbors and wildlife. I’m proud of what an extremely dedicated group of volunteers has accomplished in the past 20 years. Now it’s time to move forward and we are thrilled the Wylde Center has accepted our invitation to become managers of the garden and its programs.”

The Wylde Center will maintain the community atmosphere that the Mulberry Fields’ garden members have worked to hard to create, says Van Parys. First priorities include formalizing how the garden is used, including setting up procedures for field trips and guidelines for special events rentals.

About the Wylde Center

In 1997, an idea took root in the Oakhurst area of Decatur, Ga. Neighbors Sally Wylde and Louise Jackson envisioned a community garden where children could learn about the natural world and enjoy hands-on gardening activities. With the purchase of a half-acre of property at the corner of South McDonough St. and Oakview Road, the Oakhurst Community Garden was born. Today, supported by members, foundations, corporations and donors, the non-profit has been re-named the Wylde Center to honor its co-founder and to better encompass its expanded range of properties and programs. With the addition of Mulberry Fields, the Wylde Center now oversees five distinctive greenspaces, directs a year-round educational program for all ages, hosts social events and directs the Decatur City Schools’ Farm to School Program. Staff and volunteers engage children, families and individuals in activities designed to develop creative skills in sustainable urban living, organic gardening, health and nutrition. Despite its robust growth, the Wylde Center has stayed true to its original mission of cultivating vibrant greenspaces for everyone to enjoy and inspiring communities of environmental stewards. www.wyldecenter.org.