If spending weekends wrestling a lawnmower isn't your idea of leisure, yet you still love the feel of fresh-cut grass under your toes, here is the perfect solution: Reduce the amount of grass in your yard.

Small Lawns--Big Rewards
The first step is to evaluate what you want. If you have visions of riding horseback across the back 40 or hosting the local Little League championship, perhaps a bordered lawn isn't for you. But if you like clean landscape lines, healthy green grass, and free weekends, consider hemming your lawn in with pavers or a brick patio.

If there are places in your yard where grass just doesn't grow or where mowing is a problem, reshaping your lawn can be the solution. It's often difficult to grow grass under the shade of trees, in spots with poor drainage, or where there is competition from shrubs with shallow roots. Growing grass in places without these challenges reduces the amount of required maintenance.

Another benefit of a bordered lawn is how the other plants in the yard will prosper. Lawnmowers and string trimmers can damage the bark of trees and shrubs. This incidental contact is common and can have disastrous effects. When a string trimmer cuts a tree's bark, the wound immediately becomes a vector for disease and insect damage. Without proper care, this can eventually lead to the death of the plant. A simple solution to this is to reshape your lawn so that all your trees and shrubs are outside its perimeter, thus avoiding accidental contact. This also benefits the turf by reducing water and nutrient competition and providing more sunlight. With less fertilization, less watering, and less mowing to do, you can enjoy your yard more.

Design Advantages
In addition to the many maintenance benefits you'll reap, there are some wonderful design rewards as well. Redbrick or black stone borders around your lawn create a contrast of color that breaks up the monotony of green. Hardscape borders can also provide continuity between the house and lawn. Replicating the brick or stone of a house's foundation in the landscape will pull the eye from the curb to the front door. The shape of a lawn can also play off a house's design. Repeating the straight lines of a front porch or the curved lines of an archway will create a pleasing effect.