Need some ideas

[Jared77]

We're moving this weekend into our house and as many trips as I've already made I've got a problem. The stupid mailbox. Its on a wooden post on the edge near a dirt road, really nothing special like a zillion other mailboxes all across the rural parts of America.

When I drive up to the house I'm thrilled that I own a house again but there's this voice in my head as I look around in my best Darth Vader voice: "I find your lack of landscape disturbing". To see the reference click here. Apparently I really need to get out more.

That bugs me. In fact it bugs me a lot. It screams opportunity and creativity. Mostly because its a solid structure that defines an area, so it anchors a place to plant and landscape. Its not a bed that just popped up out of nowhere in the middle of the yard like an island in a sea of green lawn. The mailbox gives it purpose and definition and is screaming at me to do something with it.

So I'm trying to do something with a couple of perennials. I know that makes it a bit more challenging but I'd rather have something I put some maintenance into and keep it going than have to replant every year. I love annuals don't get me wrong I just don't think it would be the best choice given my time. If I did annuals this area would be a low priority on the planting list and I don't want it to look bad because of this.

The area in question is southern exposure with full sun nothing to obstruct it. I live on a road that doesn't get much traffic, so its not like the plants have to withstand a ton of abuse either. Just be reasonably hardy and keep the plants fairly simple so I don't make it more complicated than it needs to be.

So I started kicking around some ideas for a focal plant to build around and I keep coming back to a Knock Out Rose. Tough, hardy to my zone, it would be in color for quite a while, good size, and can withstand some pruning to keep it from engulfing the mailbox. I think the repeat blooming would be ideal and would really stand out as your driving down the road.

I like the idea the problem I'm having is what else do I put around with the rose? Do I let it be by itself just a KO rose and the mailbox? Or do I put something else around it or even at the base of it? I had thought of doing maybe some iris between 2 KO roses to give it some early color before the roses come really take off and then bloom? Or maybe some day lilies to bloom between the KO blooms? I'd edge the bed with a simple landscape edging in a letter C from the edge of the driveway to the road so the plants were the focus and obviously mulch it.

Maybe some garden phlox? Or creeping phlox along the edges? I figured the KO rose would be the tallest plant there closest to the mailbox. I want it to be the focal point and everything is selected around it if I do anything else.

I really want to keep it a perennial or perennials if possible but I would consider something that will reseed easily too. I'm not looking to make this into a super huge bed either. Just give it some easy & simple color to jazz it up a bit instead of having a pressure treated post I have to run the weed whacker around. So maybe a single plant is the way to go. Just not sure on this. Never had a mailbox I'd wanted to do anything with before.

I know the timing isn't right on this for this year, I'm looking to plan this out now so I have a species/variety list and play with the arrangement from there for next year so I can track down the plants themselves and go with it.

Thanks folks I really appreciate it

 

[catjac1975]

Unlike the shows that they show on HGTV a garden is not built within a weekend. It will be your lifetime mission to plan and build a place of beauty for which you will be proud. Do not be in a hurry, start small and keep adding to your collections. I use a Mantis tiller. Many of my gardens would enlarge just a tiller width a season, much to my husband's chagrin. If you are craving color start with some quick growing annuals. Allisum, cat's whiskers, nicotianna, ect. I have grown perennials from seed for years. I save seed and grow them the next year. I saved impatien seeds for years as they were expensive and I found hard to germinate. Hosta can be divided until you have edged every garden bed that you have. So my real advice is to take your time and let your garden evolve.

 

[seedcorn]

Jared
First; take a million pictures of how it is now, house, yard, all property.
Second, go cheap and crazy on this project. After you do it, you'll wish you did it another way. Guess what, since you did it on the cheap, no problem, now do it like you now want.

Now, go, enjoy the experience.

Ps, love idea of roses. Think about large rock garden, full of perennials that are going to go on sale real quick. Make mail person, love coming to your mailbox. Have weed issues, busy with job, family, etc., little bottle of glysophate cleans up grasses quick.

 

[lesa]

What a lovely problem to solve! Congrats on your new home! When I think mailbox, I think post... something needs to climb on it. What about clematis- there are a million kinds...pretty and climbing. Want to save money? How about morning glories? Buy seeds once, and they will reseed forever. I love all your ideas. The day lilies are a good choice, along with the rose. Start with a small area, and add to it each year... And as Seedcorn, says, take lots of pictures! Once you have it beautiful and growing, it will be hard to remember what it looked like "before".

 

[Carol Dee]

Actually this is a great time to start. Almost every big box store and nursery is having sales to get rid of this years stock! If you want a rose. Start there. Add a few perennials each year until you have what you have envisioned. Have fun.

 

[baymule]

What about daffodils for early spring color? I vote for daylilies for summer color. I also like the rose idea. You don't have to be in a hurry, take your time and enjoy yourself!

 

[seedcorn]

Almost forgot.......since you asked for some ideas,,,,,,, you must post pix so we know what you are starting with. Now get it done.

Later, after first attempt.

If you like lillies you see along roads, ask farmer as he will probably allow you to dig some starts up. I did that to bases of trees on back lot.

 

[journey11]

Jared, I think you'll certainly need something low-maintenance, as busy as you are! Knock-out roses are a good choice since they have great disease resistance and bloom most of the summer. Get your weeds removed/killed, put down a thick "island" of mulch and stick them in there and forget about them. The mulch looks good in the meantime, IMO, as things take a couple years to grow in and fill out.

I've got one area of my front yard where the ground is so gravelly that I can't plant anything there. Know what I have growing there? Rocks! I collect big, pretty rocks when I go on trips...camping, hiking, fishing, or whatever and I "plant" them on that difficult spot of ground. Low-maintenance and looks pretty.

Congrats on reaching move-in day! Now bring on the pics... We wanna see 'em!

 

[897tgigvib]

If you google landscaping mailbox, then click for images, you'll see tons of ideas.

I like what SeedCorn said. If you try once and it's not quite right, you can always move things around next dormant season.

Do consider plants that need similar conditions in your planning.

 

[thistlebloom]

Good advice from all.

Just for something different I'll throw in the idea of sedums. There is a huge variety, they are as tough as anything, they have different bloom times, come in lots of sizes colors, and growth habits, low maintenance, drought tolerant, endlessly dividable, and easy to share so you can get some from garden friends. Like, for instance, if you were a member of a garden forum and somebody wanted to share with you...