Front Yard Mailbox Gardens

Because most mailboxes are right up against the street, plants need to be extra tough. Look for varieties that can hold up to summer heat and, if you live in an area that sees much snow, winter salt. Here, drought-tolerant sedum, showy California poppy, iris, fragrant rosemary, and yellow coreopsis mix with colorful purple petunias and verbena.

Learn more about growing petunias.

Learn more about growing verbena.

The post your mailbox sits on is the perfect place to grow a small vine such as clematis. Accent it with a variety of no-fuss perennials such as yarrow, salvia, lavender, and ornamental grasses.

Test Garden Tip: Be sure to install edging if your mailbox garden is next to turf. Edging will keep the grass from creeping in around your perennials.

Annual flowers offer the opportunity to change out your look every year, and most of them bloom nonstop throughout the summer. Have fun with your mailbox garden and go with a different theme every year. Keep your neighbors guessing what you'll do next!

Surrounding your mailbox with flowers instantly makes your front yard more welcoming and approachable. Combine easy-growing varieties such as anise hyssop, sedum, phlox, aster, and shrub rose for the lush, relaxed appearance that characterizes cottage garden style.

The best way to start a mailbox garden is to keep it small and easy to maintain. Here, a collection of grasses including Mexican feathergrass add four-season color and interest.

Like any garden, plantings around your mailbox need to fit your personal style. Don't be afraid to pack in the plants if you love lots of color.

Bonus: A front yard full of flowers like this can take less time to maintain over the course of a year than a lawn (which needs weekly mowing). Be sure to select varieties that are suited to your climate and to spread several inches of mulch over the ground to cut down on weeds.

If you live in an urban area or have a mailbox attached directly on your home, space around it is at a premium. You can still help dress it up, though, by filling a single container with high-impact plants.

If all you have space for is a simple planter, make it count by changing it with the seasons. Plant spring-blooming bulbs such as tulips and daffodils in autumn; augment the early-season show with pansies and other cool-weather flowers. Add lettuces for a tasty treat that's still pretty to look at, and anchor it all with a dwarf evergreen.

As weather warms and cool-season flowers start to fade, pull them out and replace them with heat-loving beauties. Here, variegated plectranthus spills over the side of the container and is a lovely partner for bold, sun-loving SunPatiens and flaming-red celosia.

By autumn, many summer annuals start to fade (or thrive and feel overgrown), signaling it's time for a fresh start. Remove any plants that don't look as fresh and replace them with fall favorites such as chrysanthemums and flowering kale.