It was brutally hot on the day we went to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to meet the Trolls.
I will admit, I overexerted myself walking in the heat. But if you'll recall, last time I visited the Gardens, it was dreary and raining (Early Blog Installment Weirdness disclaimer). I explored all over the northeastern side of the Gardens and it was well worth it. Not only did I get to see my favorite gardens in the sun, it turns out that this is where the Guardians of the Seeds are hiding out.
As you can see in the first photo, the Guardians appear deceptively small at first. But up close, it's like standing next to a Redwood tree or a Tyrannosaurus skeleton: they are massive and magnificent. I made sure to get pictures of them without people, but I think the White Pine Roskva is holding here gives you some perspective. She's huge!
The Guardians of the Seeds were created by Thomas Dambo, as part of what he calls his "Sculpture Fairy Tale", The Great Story Of The Little People & The Giant Trolls. The installation is worldwide and there are potentially a family of his trolls near you. They are created entirely out of recycled wood and are beautifully integrated into the landscape.
While posted rules do not allow people (or adults at least) to climb on them, they do invite interaction. Indeed, the two smaller (relatively speaking) trolls practically demand hugs. Look at them!
The Fairy Garden Village sits near one of the younger trolls, and here visitors are encouraged to create their own art out of found forest materials, though on a much smaller scale. And these are very traditional Maine coast Fairy Houses: they're meant to camouflage into the landscape, made of only found natural objects, and no dollhouse furniture or toys and certainly nothing made of plastic. You build with what you find on the ground. The results are adorable and I like the abstract one in the last picture.
The gardens are a spectacular place altogether and here are more highlights, including an unusual vertical garden, a sculpture by Nancy Schön (who also created the famous Make Way for Ducklings statue in the Boston Public Gardens), and beautiful water gardens (and bonus frog).
