What are the best flowers for a mailbox planter?

Last Updated on April 12, 2022 by William

Best Mailbox Flowers

Some of the best mailbox flowers include the lavender, clematis, zinnias, dianthus, and summer phlox among others. There are several factors that you must consider when deciding the kind of flowers to plant around your mailbox. 

You should choose a flowering plant that thrives with minimal maintenance. It would help if you also considered a bloom that will withstand conditions like hard rocky soil and high salt levels from the road dust. 

Here are some ideal flowers to adorn your mailbox.

Common name	Botanical name	Details
Lavender	Lavandula	Lavender is a perennial shrub that produces flowers of various colors. It attains a mature height of 2 to 3 feet. It grows in full sun exposure but will require shading from afternoon sun during hot summers. Lavender can flourish in infertile to moderately-fertile soil. It appreciates neutral to slightly alkaline soil Ph; you need to add lime to a soil that is below 7.0 pH.  Lavender blooms in summer, but some varieties can start to bloom in early spring.
Clematis “Jackmanii”	Clematis x jackmanii	Clematis “Jackmanii” is a climber plant.  It thrives best in full sun and partial shade; head in the sun and roots in a shade. It prefers chalk, clay, loam, and sandy soils. The soil pH should be acidic, alkaline, or neutral moist and well-drained. It attains a mature size of 8 to 12 inches tall and 4 to 6 inches wide. It is a deer-tolerant plant that blooms in summer.
Zinnias	Zinnia	Zinnias require full sun exposure for maximum blooming. It flourishes in well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter; waterlogged soils can lead to rotting of the roots. Blooming starts in the late spring and prolongs until the beginning of frost. It has mid-green leaves, and flowers vary shades from pink, white, purple, red, to yellow.
Dianthus	D. plumarius	Dianthus is a fast-growing perennial plant. It attains a mature size of 6 to 36 inches tall and 6 to 24 inches wide before blooming. Dianthus thrives in full sun exposure. It thrives in moist, well-drained soil that is neutral to acidic. It blooms in spring, summer, and fall with white, pink, lilac, and red flowers.
Summer Phlox	Phlox paniculata	The two varieties of summer phlox are garden phlox and creeping phlox. Both thrive in full sun exposure, but the garden phlox appreciates partial shade from the afternoon sun, particularly in the south. Phlox can tolerate garden soil but flourish in well-drained soils; waterlogged soil causes the roots to rot. You can improve your soil’s drainage by peat moss or compost. Its blooming season is summer and fall.

Infographic: what are the best flowers for a mailbox planter?

What Kind of Flowers Look Good Around a Mailbox?

It is not easy to decide which flowers to grow around your mailbox. You have to be careful to pick a flower depending on the conditions of your mailbox’s surroundings. 

For instance, if your mailbox is far from your home compound and sits under the full sun the whole day, you have to find a drought-resistant flower that can withstand uncertain climatic conditions. 

If it is under a shade, you need a flower that does not require full sun exposure to thrive. Here are some excellent choices of flowers to grow around a mailbox.

Mandevillas

It is a low-maintenance tropical plant that can thrive in full sun exposure. It starts blooming in spring and continues until frost.

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

California poppy is a perennial plant that will grace your mailbox perfectly. It requires full sun exposure for the flower to open. It can flourish in poor, well-drained soils. It blooms from mid-February all through to mid-May. Blooming depends on the amount of rainfall in winter and early spring. 

Purple Verbena (Verbena canadensis)

Purple verbena is a perennial plant that can live up to three years, achieve a mature size of 12 inches in height, and spread up to 18 inches. It needs exposure to full-day sun and well-drained soil. Purple verbena cannot survive in crowded areas with poor air circulation or waterlogged soil. Its advantage is that it blooms from spring until near frost for a long time.

Low Maintenance Mailbox Garden

Designing a mailbox garden is one of the easiest tasks. You can achieve a low-maintenance or maintenance-free garden with these ideas. 

Country mailbox landscaping

It makes an ideal tiny mailbox garden for a countryside home. You may include a wooden post, stones, and greenery to achieve the low-maintenance mailbox garden you desire.

Use Flower Beds with Climbing Vines

You may choose to make a different type of flower bed by including climbing vines. Let the colors you choose blend naturally and make sure they are eye-catching. The benefit of this is that it is easy to maintain.

Other ideas for creating a low-maintenance mailbox garden include a simple flower bed, climbing flowers, raised flower bed, and an edging flower bed around the mailbox.

Full Sun Perennial Mailbox Garden

Designing a full sun mailbox garden requires perennial plants that are primarily drought-resistant. You can either pick a specific flower or mix varieties. Here are some perennial flowers to include in your full sun mailbox garden.

• Dipladenia
• Thunbergia
• Mandevilla
• Verbena
• Zinnias

Fall Mailbox Flowers

Fall is coming, and you want to spruce up your mailbox area. Here are some fall flowers for that purpose.

• Aster
• Sweet Alyssum
• Ornamental Pepper
• Celosia
• Pansy
• Chrysanthemum

Mailbox Garden Kits

A mailbox garden kit contains a variety of flowers for a beautiful mailbox garden, their growing requirements like soil and fertilizers if necessary. Different packages will contain different ingredients. 

An example is a kit containing powder-coated steel. Overall, it has planting pockets of 5 inches by 5.5 inches, 6.5” W x 8.5” H and an arched area equivalent to most mailbox areas. It is from Gardener’s Supply Exclusive, weighing 3.0 lbs. 

Curb Appeal Mailbox Landscaping

There are various ideas for mailbox landscaping.

• Make it modern.
• make your front yard mailbox stand out.
• design a flower mailbox.
• add interest with bright colors.

How Do You Plant Flowers in a Mailbox Post?

The mailbox post is at a strategic point to plant climbers like clematis. Plant low-maintenance perennials to ascend the post. If your mailbox is next to turf, be sure to use edging, so grass does not grow over your perennials. 

Resources:

19 Mailbox Planter ideas – Pinterest

15 Mailbox Planter Ideas To Spruce Up Your Street – Garden …

Build your own mailbox (with a planter) – greywoodmama

Mailbox Planter – The Scrap Shoppe