Reviewed by: Cindy Hatcher
Huntsville’s 18-foot troll turns one—Mama Zelda then, now + next [PHOTOS]
Reading time: 4 minutes
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One of Huntsville’s biggest residents celebrated a big birthday on April 1: Mama Zelda, the 18-foot troll sculpture by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, turned 1!
We’re ready to celebrate the occasion all spring and summer at Huntsville Botanical Garden, watching as budding plant life continues to fill in her woody hair maze and the surrounding Mother Earth Troll Garden.
Keep reading to learn more about Mama Zelda, her creator and what to watch as she continues to grow into her home here.
Who built Mama Zelda?
Dambo, a Copenhagen-based environmentalist and self-described “garbage artist,” is known for his 150+ troll sculptures worldwide, including several in the United States. In 2018, Dambo worked on a large project at The Morton Arboretum in Chicago, where he first crossed paths with HBG CEO Susan Wagner, who took her post here a little over a year later.
When the Garden began considering projects to increase its permanent installations, Dambo’s delightful work and sustainable approach came to mind.
Ultimately, HBG brought the first Dambo troll to Alabama, and it’s the first anywhere with an accompanying maze.
👉 Hear Dambo’s story in his own words here.
Where is Mama Zelda located?
SLIDE TO COMPARE: Natural elements have added richer colors and character to Mama Zelda’s features over the past year. (Lacey Muenstermann + Ben Johnson / Hville Blast)
Mama Zelda’s hair and earthen berms create a maze structure throughout the Mother Earth Troll Garden, where she relaxes in the center, ready to greet guests. The troll structure and other garden accents are made from locally-salvaged materials, including lumber, large tree stumps and boulders.
On their way in and out, visitors can search for bronze seed sculptures, stop for a swing or sit a spell on a cluster of benches. While all of these features make the garden worth a visit year-round, the most exciting aspect will be seeing what the plant life has in store throughout the seasons.
Plants to look for this spring + summer
To choose plants for the garden and Mama Zelda’s hair, the Garden team and Dambo collaborated to include a diverse mix of plants, including several native to Alabama.
After a lengthy curation process, plants selected for the entire garden include:
🌷2,400 bulbs
440+ woody plants
🌿 1,300 herbaceous plants
Inside Mama Zelda’s head is a huge planter, from which we’ll eventually see plants emerge and fill out her hair. These plants include Dickson’s gold bellflower, tricolor creeping wire vine, Huntington Carpet rosemary, plumbago and duet jessamine.
👉 Read all about Mama Zelda’s origin story here.
How to visit Mama Zelda
You can visit Mama Zelda daily with a Garden membership or pay admission, which ranges from $15 for ages 3-15 to $20 per visit for most adults, with kids under 2 admitted free.
You can even bring your dogs on Thursdays or cats on Mondays for $5 each (leashes required).
💡Smart Tip: Individual annual memberships are $65, which means it’s paid for itself if you go more than three times a year. Here’s where to get one.
Huntsville Botanical Garden
📍Where: 4747 Bob Wallace Ave SW, Huntsville, AL 35805
⌚️When: Sun.-Wed., 9AM-6PM; Thurs.-Sat., 9AM-7PM | Note: Garden hours change seasonally; be sure to check the website for hours before you visit.
📲 More Info: Website | Facebook
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