DIY landscaping to save money for other projects

The single largest HOA budget item is landscaping of the common areas. We have had two different suggestions from neighbors on how we might save on this cost to build up our budget for other projects (no projects have been identified, but we all certainly have ideas).

1. Have a quarterly community work day to maintain the common area flower beds and pay landscapers for mowing, edging and snow/ice removal only. 
2. Create a landscaping committee of homeowners who would take over the entire landscaping job (except snow/ice removal). Volunteers for this committee would take turns mowing and gardening and be reimbursed by the HOA for gas, plants, mulch, fertilizer, etc. 

Obviously, these are just ideas that we want to pose to all of the homeowners for discussion. If we do not get enough interest in either option within a week, the board will move forward with a landscaping contract for maintenance of all common areas.