What’s one of the first things you see when you drive up to someone’s home? The mailbox garden! I have a pretty small island around my mailbox but I’m going to make it a bit bigger this year so it can be a little self-contained cottage garden.
Here are some pretty mailbox gardens for inspiration because I’m in denial that we’re having freeze warnings every day! In my head it’s spring!
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This is the cottage mailbox garden of my favorite neighbors (they have 7 dogs – all rescues!).
Although I love the look of a mailbox surrounded by climbing vines, I don’t like having to dodge the bees while trying to get my mail out! I’m sure the mail carrier doesn’t want to have to do that either. Also, you have to keep your flag clear so I think vines should be set back like this one. source: Pinterest
I like this idea of using daylillies via Shauna Coronado. I have so many of them they would be easy to divide and they’re drought tolerant.
My mailbox is as close to the road as this one. I have very little planting space in front of it so my mailbox garden would have to also be more behind and to the side. I like this idea but on a smaller scale for me. via About.Com Flowers
This street side mailbox garden is pretty amazing! Although I don’t know how you get in there to actually get your mail. via Fine Gardening
I always enjoy it when people have interesting mailboxes. via Gardening With Bulbs We have a school bus driver in the neighborhood and she has a school bus shaped mailbox!
I like this one as it looks likes it’s in a raised bed. Maybe it would keep the dogs out! via BHG
Above is a detailed plan from BHG that you can download at the site.
Of course, mailbox gardens can be more formal & structured (shrubs,ground covers, be conservative with flower colors).
I just like a cottage garden look.
I think a little something around your mailbox, even if it’s a flat of begonias, can add lots of curb appeal to your home. Just remember to choose plants that can withstand whatever road side conditions you have and keep the mail carrier in mind. I often see mailboxes covered with climbing roses around them and wonder about the thorns!
Thanks for the inspiration Manuela! I need to do something around our mail box at our new home this spring. We actually need a new mailbox and post too. I would love to find one that is not the norm.
You are feeding my spring fever! These are gorgeous ideas for mailbox gardens! I was looking at ideas for our raised beds & patio yesterday…. I am so ready, but here the forecaster is calling for snow showers again this weekend. Its been a strange winter indeed.
I know! Just a few days ago we were wearing short sleeves and mowing the lawn! I told my husband I’m just going to act like it’s spring because I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to bundle up and go out and start enlarging some of my beds (as long as I can get a shovel in the ground)!
These are really pretty mail box gardens. Thanks for sharing them. I’ve always wanted to do something around our mailbox but we get so much snow here and it would be impractical. Pamela
I don’t plant around my mailbox in winter. I usually just do annuals for the summer.
This is so intriguing to me because I have been making plans to “grow the garden” more each year. Currently, I have an itty bitty strip of grass between the mailbox and morning glory and the other small garden I made last year. Stupid, stupid, stupid on my part because I always get grass clippings in one or the other garden. I’m going to combine them this year as I should have done in the first place. These are a lovely lot of examples. Mine won’t have this much thought to it, but it’ll do fine in another year or two or three.
Love the inspiration Manuela. I spent the last few days cleaning out the gardens and adding fresh compost and yesterday I actually bought a few new plants at the nursery. Spring seems to be here in Southern California as we are in the 80’s this weekend. We will cool to the 60’s again next week but I think all chance of frost are behind us. My mailbox is attached to our house but I think a whiskey barrel underneath would do the trick. Have a great weekend friend. Patty
Great inspiration! I have spring fever so bad it’s not even funny. It has been cold and cloudy here all week — most nights around freezing, and tonight it’s supposed to dip into the upper 20’s and it’s been spitting snow. We will only get a dusting, if that — but I am so done with winter.
Those are all wonderful and so pretty. It makes me wish I had a mailbox at the road to make a garden around. My box is attached to my house at my front door. I really could use some ideas for a little garden near my front door, though.
Hugs, Cindy
Great inspiration pictures, Manuela! I always admire mailbox gardens when I’ve taken a walk around the neighborhood in the nicer weather. If we hadn’t moved I would have enlarged our mailbox bed, too. It was quite small and I always wanted something that I could fill in more with some pretty flowers and plants.
Love these gardens! Our mailbox is on the other side of the road in our neighbor’s back yard…so I haven’t planted anything there yet.
Mmmm…I’ve never heard of that kind of set up. If it’s in your neighbor’s backyard, won’t they mind if you start planting stuff there?
Thanks for the pretty touch of Spring – as I sit here watching it sleet and light snow on its way.
Enjoy your weekend.
Beautiful:) I am gonna wait for the hubby to finish my raised garden beds and then I will send this post to him! Hehe! He has just finished THREE:) Have a blessed weekend and thanks for sharing you ideas with us! HUGS!
These certainly beautify the mailbox! Very pretty:>)
Drooling up here in NC! Gotta get to work before the heat sets in.
I can’t wait to see what you do!
I LOVE this idea…I hadn’t thought about a mailbox garden before. I hate the look of the bare mailbox on the street, but didn’t know what to do with it…now I do! Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re very welcome! Glad you found this idea useful.
I love your inspiration photos and I can’t wait to see what you do with your mailbox garden. My mailbox is on the edge of the sidewalk with my neighbors’ boxes so I can’t do anything there. We have a lamp post at the end of our sidewalk, near the street. I have a small ‘mailbox’ garden there but I’m not happy with it. You’ve just inspired me to share it on my blog one of these days. Maybe you and my other friends will help me decide what to. I think I’m off to Pinterest to see if there are lamp post gardens!
~Adrienne~
That’s a great idea – I’d love to see it! I would think a lamp post garden and a mailbox garden would have many similarities since they’re both small pocket gardens.
Now that it’s March, springtime has to be just over the horizon (I sincerely hope)! And we can begin planning our garden chores and joys–like amending my mailbox garden with more compost so I can grow a bumper crop of cutting flowers this year. I’ve missed playing with my plants!