Whether you are just sprucing up, beautifying, going for a home equity loan, or placing your home on the market, lamppost and mailbox gardens add a touch of charm and interest to your curb appeal. Depending on how much space you have to work with and the look you are trying to achieve, you can opt for a half-circle, full surrounding circular garden, or really any shape that surrounds the object and allows for planting bed areas.
Working from the top down and inside to perimeter to create color and texture, I suggest first adding a climbing, flowering vine such as Clematis to your focal point. Clematis does not get too dense, has no thorns to annoy the mailman, and can be trained to wrap nicely around a post. do a little research and you're sure to find several climbers that will work well in your area.
Next, you'll want to plan for some low-maintenance blooms that will surround and reach halfway or so up the mailbox, lamppost, or trellis. Reblooming daylilies and coreopsis require little care and bloom from early to late summer, and coneflower (Echinacea) which blooms from mid-summer to fall. For this mid-level grouping, the hardy and vibrant red and yellow blanket flower, blooming from May to September and self-seeding for next year, is also a terrific choice.
Your outermost and lowest lying plantings should also be hardy, low maintenance, and offer intriguing foliage during off-season months. Mailbox and lamppost gardens are great places for adding seasonal interest since they're so visible and defined. Seasonal interest in your curb appeal is especially important if you're trying to sell your home. Various ground cover plants fit the bill while reducing the amount of weeding necessary at the same time. Creeping phlox (moss pink), sedum, and periwinkle provide myriad tiny blooms. Dwarf hosta and baltic english ivy offer lovely foliage through most months.
You can choose to add a garden border to surround this garden, depending on your preference and/or to reduce the level of maintenance. For a rustic, cottage or English garden feel, low-height willow edging works nicely. Half-circle brick accents, pavers, and even rounded and painted handful-sized rocks are options here. A mailbox or lamppost garden brightens the day of passers-by while increasing your curb appeal and, hence, property value. Don't have a mailbox at the end of your drive? Not a problem: you can do the same with a thin fountain or trellis, small tree, or wooden post with birdhouse or other eye-catching topper. These are just a few examples. Almost anything can work here and your imagination is your only limit.
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