Landforms and Snow Sculpture

Living in communion with the natural world, whether it be mountains or oceans, our senses are constantly taking in land sculptures. The ever changing shorelines and wave formations, and more stoic hills, peaks, and valleys create rhythm, energy, spacial definition and, of course, beauty, that we can mimic in our own landscape settings.

Maya Lin's Wave Field, as pictured below, is one of the more stunning examples of created landforms. Her desire was to create poetry in her representation of a naturally occurring wave pattern. The artist described it as ". . . pure poetry... a sanctuary, yet it’s playful, and with the changing shadows of the sun, it is completely transformed throughout the day."

Don't let the scale of her accomplishment intimidate you. Let it inspire you. While most creations begin with pencil and paper, clay modeling or computers, those of us in the snowy mountains can push some snow around to get a visual of land sculptures in our own landscapes. If you are in the process of building a home or major reconstruction, you don't have to settle for a flattened construction lot or a typical berm to screen the street. Play around with snow and think about a series of repetitive mounds. Or get your inspiration from a natural water element with gently sloping banks and either real water or a representation using stones or plants meandering through a portion of your property. Just as Ms. Lin did with waves, look to nature's forms to get ideas on sculpting your land.

If earth movement is not in your future, have fun with snow to see how less dramatic elevation changes would enhance your space. Even the smallest changes in slope and aspect can become significant elements of spacial design and have an effect on the microclimates of your garden. You can also use plants, large stones and other elements to create rhythm and spatial definition.

At the risk of getting too wordy, I have to mention the centuries old Ha-ha technique of created landforms. Cows and sheep were prevented from decimating the adjacent lawn and garden with the landform technique shown below. Not so sure the moose and elk would fall for that trick...

Finally, don't forget to take pictures of your sculpted snow so your landscape designer and contractor can turn your vision into your garden.

Maya Lin's Wave Field, University of Michigan

Rather than define spaces, the Ha-ha wall was meant to eliminate barriers to expansive views from the manor house and gardens while keeping out domestic animals.

Restored Ha-ha wall in UK courtesy of The South Pennine Walling Company