By Gerry Barker
Photos by Gerry Barker
Before our visit to Maine on American Cruise Lines’ ship, American Constitution, I knew it was famous for lobster (40 million pounds annually — 90 percent of the nation’s supply) and lighthouses (65 in all), as well as the home of novelist Stephen King. What I didn’t expect to find was … trolls.
That was one of the surprises when we docked at Boothbay Harbor, a charming seaport town of some 3,000 located 166 miles north of Boston. Random factoid from Maine tourism: “Maine’s coastline (3,478 miles) has so many deep harbors that it could provide anchorage for all the naval fleets in the world.”
Our day in Boothbay Harbor included an excursion to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which hosts 200,000 visitors a year and is the largest botanical garden in New England. Opened in 2007, it began as the dream of a small group of residents who believed in the idea so much, they used their own homes as collateral to get it started.
Situated on 148 acres “of rocky coastal forest,” it boasts a mile of “tidal saltwater frontage,” a butterfly house, a children’s garden, woodland hiking trails and –what we didn’t expect — five giant trolls, the work of noted Danish recycling artist and activist, Thomas Dambo.
On his website, Dambo explains his mission:
“Our world is drowning in trash while we are running out of natural resources. In 2011, I quit my job to become an artist and follow my mission to ‘Waste no more’. I spend my life showing the world that beautiful things can be made out of trash. I give new life to discarded materials by turning them into large-scale artworks.”
To date, Dambo has placed more than 130 pieces of his “trash art” around the world, and hosts a video blog on YouTube called “Trash Talk.” The trolls he created for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens were built in 2021 over a period of two months, utilizing the help of 150 volunteers as well as the Gardens staff.
Along with his art, Dambo incorporates a teaching element into his works. At the Maine Gardens, the five trolls are the “Guardians of the Seeds,” Dambo’s recycle art fairy tale begins:
“Somewhere between the mountains and the rocky coast
lies a forest of pristine green, forgotten by most.
Deep in this forest is a secret place
with 10 golden seeds at the end of a maze.
They were hidden by five giant forest trolls
protecting each part of the forest so old.
It was told that the trolls spoke the tongue of the trees
and had sworn to protect them from war and disease.”
Visitors are told to write down the names of the trolls — Soren, Lilja, Gro, Roskva and Birk — on a brochure and the highlighted letters will reveal the secret to finding the hidden seeds. Given our time at the gardens was limited, and the trolls are scattered around, with map in hand, we set out to see as many as we could.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect: Bright sunshine and clear blue skies. We passed over the Heafitz Wetland Bridge and soon saw our first troll — Roskva. Standing close to 30 feet high, you can’t miss it as she grasps an adjacent tree trunk. “Roskva is the heaviest, hardest, and strongest of the trolls.”
Checking the map, we head for the Children’s Garden, which is delightfully whimsical, and take the Backwoods Trail where we come across Lilja, sitting in the forest. We learn she “is the youngest of the trolls” and “holds the scent of the flowers.”
Continuing on the Backwoods Trail, the beauty and solitude of the Maine deep woods is all around. We pass the Fairy House Village and soon intersect with the scenic Shoreline Trail, which runs along the Back River, then turn onto the Maine Woods Trail, which takes us to our third troll, Soren. Arms in the air, this troll “sticks up for the branches”
We have to take the North Trail to reach our fourth troll — Gro, seating almost yoga-like by a large rock. Gro is a wandering troll who “smiles with the leaves” and “creates a feast for the forest” consisting of raindrops and sunbeams.
The fifth and final troll, Birk, is located on another section of the Shoreland Trail, but it’s a fairly good hike, and time is starting to run short before we have to board the bus back to the ship. That’s a troll for another day.
If you find yourself in this part of the world, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is well worth a visit. You can find more information on their website. For a list of more works by Dambo, go here.
Dambo is certainly proving the old adage, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
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