From your own experience, what requires less maintenance...lawns or planter areas? What would you recommend for keeping the planters low maintenance? I'm in process of landscaping my yard. The grass is already in so my kids have a place to play (though for some reason they still spend most of their time in the dirt.). My previous yard was about 90% grass and 10% garden areas. It would take me about an hour to mow my lawn. Living in the arid West, my family's water bill skyrocketed as well. So my new yard is about 35% grass and 35% planters, and 30% hardscape. I think it's great! It only takes me about 10 minutes to mow (20 if I do a good job). My planters are mostly empty now, so all I have to do is get rid of the weeds before they get big.[/url]