We like to share both the small projects and the bigger ones around here, so here’s a short update on a tiny but satisfying front-yard refresh: our mailbox landscaping. If you remember the petunia-covered mailbox from June, it went through a few stages this summer and fall.
By August the petunias were in full bloom and really filled in the space…
…and then by October they were past their peak.
Womp-womp. The petunias were annuals and inevitably started to look scraggly as the season ended. Rain had also washed away a lot of the mulch and left the area thin and messy. Still, removing them was easy, and that opened up an opportunity to try something new.
Note: some photos were taken before we removed or transplanted a few bushes here, which is why a few shots look a little different.
We’d recently received a Home Depot coupon for “Buy 2 Mums, Get 1 Free” (we belong to a garden club that sends occasional offers), so we decided to use it on the mailbox bed. For about $14 we picked up three bright yellow mums and planted them around the post—Sir Squirrel even parked himself in the middle of them for a while.
Although mums are perennials, the petunias had done such a great job filling the area over the summer that we’ll likely replant some petunias in spring and move the mums elsewhere in the yard. For now, we’re enjoying the warm autumn look the mums provide.
One issue we weren’t happy with was erosion after heavy rains. The fabric meant to block weeds was exposed beside the drain, and runoff kept washing soil and mulch away. In my wife’s words: “reeeeal classy.”
To control the washout we reused some leftover stones from our patio project (they previously edged the liriope rows we removed here and there) and built a short stacked-stone barrier next to the mum bed. The wall is small but functional; after two heavy rains it prevented soil from being carried into the drain and kept the planting bed intact. Victory for erosion control and a tidy mailbox edge.
I think the area looks better now, though the mums could still use some filling in to match the dense cover the petunias gave us in summer. With the stacked stone in place we might add more plants come spring to create a fuller, more polished mailbox landscape. We’ll also straighten and repaint the wooden post at some point.
Did anyone else tackle a quick fall update around their mailbox or front yard? Was it mums, stonework, or maybe a seasonal decor refresh?
Speaking of decor, Sherry promised more photos of the black feather wreath you may have noticed in that post. It’s a simple black feather wreath from JoAnn purchased on clearance after Halloween. She didn’t hang it formally—she just placed it over the door knocker and called it done. Simple, effortless, and effective.
Sherry had also planned to tuck three small black spiders (from this post) among the yellow mums for a playful black-on-yellow contrast, and she did add them before trick-or-treaters arrived. The kids who noticed seemed to appreciate the spooky touch. Overall, it’s been a small but rewarding mailbox makeover—simple plant swaps, a little stonework for erosion control, and a touch of seasonal decor.
Psst—if you’re curious, we painted our front door yellow here and ORBed the handle and doorknocker here.