time saving tips in the garden: reduce mowing time

Cut down on your mowing time by keeping the lawn shape simple—convert sharp-cornered and linear garden beds into smooth, shallow-curved beds. Keep island beds in the lawn with smooth edges so you can mow right up to them also. Place sundials and birdbaths on a patio, in an island bed or in a border instead of on the lawn. To eliminate edge trimming, add a mowing strip.  A mowing strip is a narrow edge of brick, gravel, mulch, sand, or similar material set just below the level of the lawn to allow the mower to pass over it without damage to either.
Replace parts of your lawn—especially hard-to-reach strips of grass between sidewalks and buildings or grass in shady areas—with low-maintenance ground covers or shrubs.