9 Pretty Flowers to Plant by Your Mailbox That Are Also Easy to Grow
Dress up that front yard staple with a pop of living color!
Go look out the front window and take a peep at your mailbox. Is it as attractive as the rest of your yard or is it just plopped there, right where visitors first show up, stonily performing its mail-holding function without charm?
If you're already putting some good gardening work into your flower beds, along walkways, and around the rest of your landscape, then it's time to turn some attention to that mailbox. Just because you have to have one doesn't mean it can't be as distinctive and attractive as the rest of your front yard. And it doesn't take much! A few flowers or climbing vines can take a boring old tin box and turn it into a thing of beauty.
Here are nine ideas for flowers—plus a few nonflowering ideas—to help inspire you. Since mailboxes tend to be in unshaded areas, surrounded mostly by grass or near a driveway, most of the plants on this list are full-sun annuals (or occasionally perennials) that tend to grow easily and not need too much care.
One important thing to note: Flowers—and especially flowering vines—will attract pollinators, such as bees and even wasps. While most pollinators are not aggressive, if you (or your mail person) are allergic to bee stings, you may want to focus on plants that don't flower, that keep their flowers low, or train your flowering vines away from the front of the mailbox to avoid any accidental stings.
Clematis
Vining clematis, with its striking purple or pink flowers, looks absolutely classic wending its way up and around a mailbox pole! And because it's perennial, you'll be able to plant it and then enjoy it for years. Do be sure to prune it, to keep it looking good and to keep it from overtaking the box!
LEARN MORE: How to Plant and Grow Clemantis
Daffodils
Plant daffodil bulbs around your mailbox and you'll have a burst of early spring blooms to welcome visitors—even if the visitor is simply the mail person!
LEARN MORE: How to Grow the Most Beautiful Daffodils
Salvia
These tall sprigs of light or deep purple flowers look absolutely lovely nested up against a mailbox, and the low-growing plants won't overtake the box either.
Salvia is drought-resistant and grows well in clay soil, making this an especially good choice if your mailbox is in a hard-to-water area, and you don't want to amend the soil.
Echinacea (Coneflower)
Who hasn't been entranced by tuffets of coneflowers popping up at the side of a rural road? Also known as echinacea, these beauties bring charm to a mailbox—and can be dried and made into herbal tea as well!
Rocktrumpet (Mandevilla, spp)
If you're in zones 9 or higher you can overwinter this beautiful flowering vine. Otherwise you'll have to plant it anew each year. But the sweet vanilla scent of the flowers make it worth the effort!
RELATED: 33 Beautiful Flowering Vines to Adorn Walls, Trellises and Fences
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
Want an old-school flower to pair with your weathered mailbox? Black-eyed Susans bring a throwback charm, and are so easy they basically grow themselves.
Daisies
Another classic flower that looks lovely in large bunches around a mailbox! There are a wide variety of daisies to pick from that grow in all heights and sizes, so you're sure to find one that suits your needs.
Snapdragons
There's something so charming about snapdragon flowers that we just have to stop every time we see them, and pinch open the little hinged jaws.
They come in a wide variety of colors, too, making them a great compliment to fun, painted mailboxes. Deadhead the flowers when you pick up the mail, and they'll keep reblooming!
LEARN MORE: How to Grow and Care for Snapdragon Flowers
Cosmos
Wildflowers such as cosmos make for an easy, no-fuss addition to a roadside mailbox, especially if it's in a less-well-tended spot. They'll add a touch of beauty to the space without your needing to do a lot of extra work.
GET INSPIRED: Why Lazy Gardening Could Be Your Best Decision This Year
Or: Try Nonflowering Plants
If the idea of having pollinators buzz around while you grab your bills sounds too much like a bad idea, there are plenty of nonflowering foliage-based plants you can put in, as well.
While a tendril of clematis climbs this mailbox pole, the rest of the ground is covered in a variety of gorgeous plants: Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina), rosemary, and white sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana), as well as catmint and Russian sage all share space in this lovely little patch.
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