Looking for some feedback

[Jared77]

So I'm looking to plant around the mailbox. Thinking quarter round space between the road & the driveway. It's a dirt road & it can get dusty so was going to stick to the "old stand bys" as far as durability/proven performance goes. They don't salt it it's only plowed in the winter.

Was thinking of putting welded wire around the post & kiddie corner putting a wrought iron or wooden obelisk for a clematis (probably jackmani) & plant it so it can grow on both structures & will plan get a 2nd one to grow on the other side of the obelisk too to be sure both structures are saturated in clematis. Part of that is locating the obelisk correctly too. I just want both the post & the obelisk HEAVILY covered.

Then thinking garden phlox, day lilies, irises, balloon flowers, & hyacinth bulbs.

Am I missing anything? Good variety of leaf shapes, & blossom shapes, a variety of bloom times, complimentary colors.......I know it's nothing special but I think collectively it would look good. The sum is greater than the parts kind of thing.

Wanted to float this out there since it's just an idea but one I've been kicking around for a while now. So what do you think? I feel really good about it but I want some other eyes to look it over in case you have an alternative or addition please don't hesitate to speak up!

Thanks

 

[canesisters]

Sounds lovely. Go for it.

 

[Lavender2]

I like it! I might throw in a sedum or two, or a late blooming mum for Fall color.. or plunk a couple long blooming annuals, like salvia or tall marigold.

It sounds like a pretty large area, will the height be problem with your view leaving your driveway?

OK, one more thing - How much snow do you get? I might worry about the plowed snow smashing clematis. Jackmanii might be ok because it blooms on new growth and you can cut him way back. Others may not work as well. Maybe. Depending on how mean your plow is.

 

[Nyboy]

My street has a big problem with mailboxes being smashed. I found that blackeyed susans are almost indestructible, a few times they where driven over and still came back.

 

[lesa]

Nothing wrong with that plan! Sounds like it will be gorgeous...Don't forget to take pictures!

 

[so lucky]

How large is the area, approximately? Your plan sounds great. I like ornamental grasses, if they are well behaved. Some bright yellow mums or marigold for fall color, as Lavender2 suggested would be nice.

 

[bobm]

What is good for one person, may not be good for another. When we lived in Cal., we had 3 mail boxes in a group at the edge of the middle house. Well, some of them were planted with flowering plants all around. The Mailman was allergic to bees and he refused to deliver the mail to them, so the people had to go to the post office to pick up their mail.

 

[NwMtGardener]

I think it sounds nice! I always like hyacinths with daffodills, for some reason, maybe you could tuck a few of those in. I really like the Autumn Joy sedum for late color, but NYboy's idea of the blackeyes susans sounds good too.

 

[thistlebloom]

And instead of annual salvias, how about some May Night salvias, or meadow sages, they bloom practically all summer and are tough. Nepeta is a good one too, long blooming, tough as nails.

But I really like your original plan, it will be beautiful, and I believe you can never go wrong if you plant a clematis.

Oh, do you have water easily accessible? Your planting will appreciate having the dust washed off frequently,( as well as the obvious watering ).​

 

[Jared77]

Thanks for the feedback & suggestions.

The area can be as big as I want it too, since I have quite a bit of yard. I have a reasonably long driveway so to make it a 1/4 circle comes down to how far up I want to go. I hope to make it reasonably sized to help soak up some space. To give dome perspective 1 neighbor on my road has a section of wrought iron gate at the end of his driveway kind of like a backdrop for that area & has planted around that.

I want the mailbox to fit in, but not necessarily be the focal point. That's why I thought the obelisk would help take away from that.

I first thought if jackmani because it blooms on new growth so I'd prune it back & let it come roaring back the spring & put on a show of blooms again. I figured that was the safest option, or another variety that blooms on new growth to help keep it safe from the road commission.

Off to go look at the other suggestions thank you again