Woodlands Garden Partners with Atlanta Mental Health Nonprofits for 13th Annual Fairies in the Garden

ATLANTA – Woodlands Garden in Decatur has partnered with two Atlanta-based nonprofit mental health treatment organizations for the 13th annual Fairies in the Garden, set to run from October 4 to October 18, 2025. Adults and teens participating in mental health treatment programs at Hillside Inc. and Skyland Trail created ten ‘fairy homes’ as part of their horticultural therapy programs.The whimsical fairy homes, made with natural materials like bark, twigs, stones, and leaves, will be installed at Woodlands Garden for guests of all ages to discover and enjoy as they walk through the gardens. 

Fairies in the Garden is free and open to the public October 4 through October 18 during daylight hours. Special programming appropriate for adults and children of all ages is scheduled.

The opening celebration for Fairies in the Garden will take place on Saturday, October 4, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Woodlands Garden in Decatur. This will be followed by a guided fairy walk in the garden on Sunday, October 5, from noon to 1 p.m. On Friday, October 10, Woodland’s Garden is partnering with Intentional Minds LLC to offer family yoga from 11 a.m. to noon, and their World Mental Health Day Fair will take place on the same day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Week two of the Fairies in the Garden exhibit offers additional engaging events. Rock painting with L’Arche Atlanta is scheduled for Sunday, October 12 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. For some family-friendly weekday fun, there will be a Magical Scavenger Hunt at the garden on Tuesday, October 14, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Fairy Play Time will take place on Wednesday, October 15, from 10 a.m. to noon. On Saturday, October 18, a Farewell to Fairies event will bring this endearing annual celebration of mental health recovery to a close from 10 a.m. to noon. 

The fairy home creation was led by horticultural therapists at each mental health treatment organization. Horticultural therapists are experts in the use of ‘nature therapy’ as an adjunctive form of healing from an episode of mental illness, or in learning to cope with stress and stay healthy.

All Fairies in the Garden events are free to attend, and donations are welcome here. For more information, visit woodlandsgarden.org or contact Kate McAlpin, Executive Director at Woodlands Garden, at director@woodlandsgarden.org. 

More information on Skyland Trail’s horticultural therapy as part of their mental health treatment programs for adults and adolescents can be found at skylandtrail.org. More information on Hillside’s mental health treatment programs for children and adolescents can be found at hside.org.