Once, the idea of landscaping his yard with bowling balls hit Glenn Zellmer like a Brooklyn strike.

There’s no law in the village of West Milwaukee (that’s where Zellmer lives) that says you can’t. Yeah, he decided. That’s what I’ll accomplish. I’ll design my yard with bowling balls.

Zellmer, who is 42, loves to bowl. He’s been bowling all his life. Bowling is in his blood. When he was 16, he began bowling on a men’s team. Before life got more complex (a wife, a mortgage, a child), Zellmer bowled five times a week. To Zellmer, a bowling ball is a object of beauty, a joy forever.

At that time, Zellmer had two problems, both of which would prove easily surmountable. First, there was Mrs. Zellmer - Michelle - who considered the idea was great. And second, Zellmer owned but two bowling balls, and one of which - a 16-pound urethane Red Hammer - was in use.

Mr. Zellmer figured Mrs. Zellmer would control his landscape improvement to the backyard. But to his surprise no. She understood that the man she married was closer in spirit to Ralph Kramden than to Ralph Lauren, and so she gave in. Place them where you feel like, she told him.

Zellmer thought he would edge his front-yard gardens with the balls. When he and Michelle bought their home eight years ago, the gardens north and south of the front steps overran with thorny bushes. They had the shrubs cut down, the roots drilled out. In place of bushes, the Zellmers placed some evergreens, though Mr. Zellmer isn’t sure what kind. He just liked how they looked and that they were not so prickly.

When he initially took out the prickly bushes, he rimed the garden with rocks, which Zellmer thought seemed to be pretty good. But shortly, everyone started edging their gardens with rocks. There were a number of houses on the Zellmers’ block alone that had gardens edged with rocks.

Rocks to Zellmer became bourgeois.

Zellmer figured it would take 38 balls to edge both gardens. There were budgetary concerns, certainly, but they did not come out to be too restraining.

“I didn’t want to spend a million dollars on this project,” he said.

Zellmer started gathering balls at the beginning of the summer. He never spent more than $4 on a ball. One sporting-goods store let him have 12 balls for $12. He stored the balls in his garage, and in less than a couple months, Zellmer had all the bowling balls he needed. Storm. Hammer. Brunswick. Udot. Fancy ones with swirling colors, plain ones in black, blue and green.

Altogether, about 600 pounds of bowling balls. The effect was striking.

Zellmer says his neighbors think the bowling balls look great, and he has a tip for anyone planning similar bowling ball projects.

“Put them in finger-holes down,” he said. “Otherwise, kids will be tempted to play with them.”

Contact Crocker Stephenson by e-mail at cstephenson@onwis.com

As the trees begin to turn color and lose their leaves, it’s time to anticipate the coming winter.

So often, a winter landscape is considered bleak and dreary. Instead, I invite you to look at your landscape a new way - with an eye for winter variety. Even during the coldest stretches of January and February, thoughtful landscaping can bring a treasure of interest.

Consider four primary and overlapping focal points of your home landscape - foundation plantings, annual and perennial gardens, trees and shrub borders. Each of these areas can be used to provide enjoyable winter views outside your windows, create inviting entries and captivate passers-by.

Landscape interest in winter comes in several forms. It can be created by the careful selection and use of evergreens - small and tall, needled or broad-leafed. It comes in the interesting outline of a deciduous tree or branching of a shrub, and in colorful or peeling bark. It is in the seed heads that capture the snow on sturdy perennials and the hips of roses grown fat on the stem.

Carefully selected evergreens are a vital part of a winter landscape. The choices range from needled shrubs such as yews and arborvitae to towering trees such as pines and spruce. Broad-leaved (non-needled) forms include boxwoods, euonymus and hollies, as well as ground cover plants such as pachysandra and English ivy. There are even some deciduous viburnum, such as Allegheny, that keep their leaves until the following June.

One of my favorite needled varieties is false cypress. One species, nootkatensis Pendula, lends both color interest and unusual form with its weeping character.

For a small broad-leaved evergreen, there is a new option this year in Emerald Magic holly. It is a unique male, meaning there will be no berries, but its small, spined leaves shine and offer enough interest to warrant a closer look as an alternative to boxwood.

When it comes to evergreens, however, too much of a good thing can be - too much! Instead of delight, an overuse of evergreens creates monotony and lack of focus. It is more interesting to combine a variety of deciduous shrubs and perennials with evergreens anchoring the winter look. There are sizes and forms to suit any need.

Let’s consider form next. You will discover that every tree and shrub has its own unique character, waiting to be discovered in the nakedness of winter.

A weeping form of crab apple, such as Louisa, should be set as a landscape focal point. It will add fun in both its dramatic outline and the persistence of fruit that catch snow and ice glazing after winter storms. Or, the winter aspect of the tree lilac, Syringa reticulata, is a broadly oval network of branches with delightful seed heads that hang on throughout the season.

Hydrangeas, especially varieties with full heads of sterile flowers such as Limelight, Showhill or Annabelle, dry nicely to a caramel brown. Their fragile outlines add a lacy touch and hold caps of snow. So, too, dollops of snow transform the large rose hips left to mature on some of the hardier shrub and floribunda roses, such as Carefree Beauty or Bonica.

A perennial bed doesn’t have to disappear under the snows of January. Form can be enjoyed, too, in select perennials that are left to gather snow. Don’t worry, there is enough time to clear spent flowers in early spring, when you are anxious to get out to your garden, but the soil is too wet to work.

The tall, fat of butterfly bush, are eye-catching. Or, leave the full, shorter, rust-colored heads of sedum varieties such as Autumn Joy or Autumn Fire. And you will delight at birds, such as goldfinches that hang on the sides of echinacea stalks as they forage for seed.

Ornamental grasses, such as varieties of miscanthus, will brown with the first frosts in October or November, but their “flowers” - the silvery seed heads that rise above the foliage - will catch the sun’s glow on even the coldest day while leaves sway in winter winds. Grasses can be a wonderful addition to foundation plantings, perennial beds or shrub borders. Let your imagination and a nursery specialist guide you through all the possible varieties to use.

Don’t overlook the use of color and texture in the bark of shrubs and trees. Among the best known are the red-twig dogwoods. There are varieties that stay under 5 feet, such as Isanti or the variegated Ivory Halo, and those that will tower at 10 feet and taller, especially Cardinal and variegated Elegantissima. Many of these only gain their characteristic red when the sap drains in winter - a sure sign that nature wants us to use color year-round!

Then there is kerria. Its arching branches form a thicket of lime-green against the white of winter. It is a shrub that will suit difficult dry shade spots, such as under a maple tree.

When it comes to interesting bark, there are many options. The paperbark maple is one of several trees that offer exfoliating bark. It will stay relatively small, growing very slowly to a mature 20 or 30 feet. The peeling salmon-colored bark of the river birch, a tree growing to 50 feet, or the white and caramel bark of Crimson Frost will add character. Seven sons flower is a large shrub or small tree that also exfoliates. Or, use the smooth silvery-gray branches of serviceberry as a contrast.

Euonymus alatus is commonly known as burning bush or winged euonymous because of its fire-red fall leaf color and ridged stems that add character. The stems are characteristically green with several brown “wings” running down the length of the branches. It usually is sold in the compact form - still a large shrub of up to 10 feet high and wide.

As the leaves of autumn are raked away and the first frosts of winter set in, begin your season of “winter-watching.” Observe the landscape that you have for its interest and opportunities. You may find ways to add more variety next year and make your landscape a year-round delight.

- Roberta Stewart is a member of the retail staff at The Planter’s Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield, IL 60190. Call (630) 293-1040.

Landscape designs can contain work areas, places for composting or vegetable gardening, even areas for accumulating garbage cans and other less-than-decorative supplies. You can select places for entertaining - decks, patios, barbecue pits, or possibly a white garden for company to enjoy on a moonlit night. You can even have areas intended particularly for the dog or the children’s play equipment.

What Can Your Garden Do for You?

A wonderfully planned landscape may look beautiful, but if it doesn’t accommodate the necessitates of the people who employ the property, it is not useful. Previous to finalizing the plan for your space, talk about it with your family circle. Use them as a sounding board as you consider about needs and plans for the site, whether it is small or large. Create a list of the purposes that you’ll desire each area of your property to serve. When you list all you wish for, you can start to find room for it all and begin getting the most significant parts in place.

In the following posts you’ll discover many aspects of fine garden design, including all from planning your garden on paper to placing a variety of garden elements. We’ll look at diverse kinds of gardens, and ornamental elements such as color, shapes, paths, and fences.

Here’re tips for preserving water, time, and money on your backyard and garden.

Lawn Care

- Limit the area of yard dedicated to continually thirsty turf grass.

- Reduce on fertilizer, mow high, and leave mulched clippings on the lawn to shade the soil and decrease evaporation. At what time you set up the sprinklers, check water is being wrapped up; if you see runoff or puddles, you’re adding water too fast.

- There’s an easy trial to decide when your lawn requires water: Walk on the grass. When the blades spring back, avoid watering. If you see your footprints, turn on the sprinklers - if not rain is in the forecast.

Flower beds and borders

- Irrigate just the roots of perennials, annuals, and shrubs and don’t shower the leaves. It’ll cut the danger of fungal disease and lessens evaporation.

- Decide on drought-tolerant plants acclimatized to your area, soil type, and sun exposure.

- Plants in pots are particularly susceptible to drying out in hot weather since their roots are confined to a small area and can’t expand deeper in search of moisture.

“Opening our Richmond office shows Bozzuto Landscaping’s commitment to the southeast area and serving our America’s military installations,” said Tom Davis, president of Bozzuto Landscaping. “We are proud of our reputation with military housing and are privileged to make our bases a more attractive place for the families who live there.”

Bozzuto Landscaping has employed 10 employees in Richmond to carry their new businesses, now the total to nearly 250 employees. The company now has agreements with 5 military installations in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast districts.

Known as one of the nation’s finest landscaping companies, Bozzuto Landscaping has been the recipient of scores of prizes for superiority. The company supplies exceptional landscaping design, improvement and commercial grounds maintenance services. Our customer base comprises office and industrial parks, hospitals, schools, restaurants and retail establishments, apartment communities and military installations.

The company has 5 places to serve our clients: our headquarters in Laurel, Maryland; and Branch offices in Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Manassas, Virginia; Richmond, VA; and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Bozzuto Landscaping Company is one of the companies of The Bozzuto Group, a Greenbelt, MD based diversified real estate services company.