Mailbox flower garden

When spring began this year, this is what our mailbox looked like.  It was sad, very sad.  I wondered if we were going to have to replace it but figured I would try to paint and stain it first. 

I debated what color to do in this post and many of you weighed in with your comments.  Black box/white pole, white box/stained pole, black box/stained pole.  I decided on staining the post the same dark color I used on our front porch re-do and then I spray painted the mailbox white and spray painted the flag red again.  Yes, you can spray paint ANYTHING!

And it looked so much better!  You can view the step-by-step process here.

Here’s the before and after together – it still amazes me   Yes, that is THE SAME mailbox and the same pole

Then I wanted to add a flower bed around the mailbox.  I did this back in May but never came back to blog about it because I was hoping to add a second bed on the other side of the driveway and blog about both of them.  Well, it got to be 90-100 degrees before I got the second bed in and it still isn’t done (hoping to add it in the next few weeks as it starts getting cooler.)

So I thought I might as well show the mailbox flower bed.

Here are my supplies.  I like to use this plastic garden edging to create a line between the flower bed and the grass.  Makes it easy to cut and weed around.

I also used weed stop fabric and staples to hold that down.   Plus you need stakes to secure the garden edging.

The easiest way to mark out the line for the bed is to use a garden hose.  Just lay it out and get it to the shape you want.  Curves in the edge make it look more natural vs. doing all straight edges.  Then I use some spray paint to make along the hose for my line.

Next you will need to dig a trench for the edging to go in.  This is the part I dread…. I tried one day and the ground was so hard.  It rained later that week and I finally was able to get it dug the next day much easier.

Aren’t you envious of that wonderful GA red clay?? NO? I promise I will share!

I set my edging in the trench and nailed in garden spikes to secure it.  Then I played around with the plant arrangement.  (I will name them all below.)

Here is the trench backfilled, the plants planted and waiting for garden cover and mulch.  IF I had a tiller I would have tilled this whole area and dug up all the grass.  But I don’t.  And I have done this method before where I just use the weed fabric to cover existing grass and eventually it dies.  I may have to weed a few stragglers the first few weeks but I would much rather do that than dig up all that grass with a shovel.

Covered in weed fabric and ready for mulch. 

Might be easier here for you to see all the plants so I will name them all for you. 

• I split and gug up the daylilies from other areas in our yard – they come back every year.
• I picked up a yellow daisy perennial for $2.50
• I bought 3 Lantana plants for 60¢ on clearance at Lowe’s
• I picked up some 3 hosta plants for $1 each from our local discount garden center.
• and 3 perennial bushes – 1 green, 2 purpley green – don’t the name?

So everything I planted are perennials and come back every year except for the Lantana.  Which when you see the next picture – I won’t be planting again.  Although I can’t complain for 60¢ 

That bed was planted in the middle of May.  Three months later in mid-August, this is what it looks like:

Apparently the Lantana LOVES the sun it gets out there and it is pretty much taking over the bed.    I am enjoying cutting some to bring inside.  There are 2 yellow Lantana plants on each side and a purple one getting taken over in the middle.  And yes the yellow daisy plant is blooming great too.

The daylilies were in bloom too.  I already plucked the brown stems for my indoor décor

I really want the bed to look much more spread out and “clean-looking” like the back part does so I will replace the Lantana with something else next spring.

Hoping I can get the other side of the driveway looking better soon!

So here’s a before/after shot for you.

Before – nasty mailbox and no flower bed.

After!  No-cost mailbox spruce up and new flower bed!

Have you done any yard projects this spring/summer?  Or are you waiting for fall and cooler temps to work in yard again?

{cj}

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