Gardening Ideas Gardening Flowers The Best Flowers to Use Around Your Mailbox By Southern Living Editors Updated on October 7, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Steve Bender When deciding what to plant around a mailbox, there are a few criteria to consider. First, it's important to plant a hardy bloom that doesn't require a ton of maintenance. Mailbox gardens are ideally self-sufficient and won't require intensive care (so you don't have to trek out to the curb for serious pruning sessions). In addition to flowers that are low-maintenance, you want to plant blooms that can withstand curbside conditions, from rocky soil to high salt levels from the road. Tailor your mailbox garden to the unique conditions of your curb—if your mailbox is completely shaded, try a shade-loving plant like ferns. If it's in direct, persistent sunlight, plant lavender to daylilies. Lastly, it's key for mailbox gardens to have great curb appeal. We love planting bright, colorful flowers around our mailbox that really wow and distract from the harsh metal of a standing mailbox. Here are 18 of our favorite blooms that will help you transform your drab curb space into a lush garden. 01 of 18 Clematis 'Jackmanii' Jennifer Yakey-Ault/Getty Images This crawling flowering vine will add a touch of natural beauty to your mailbox post. Clematis 'Jackmanii' is a perennial that blooms from mid-summer to early fall and grows 10- to 15-feet tall with a spread of 3 to 6 feet. It grows in USDA Zones 4 to 8. The top of this vine likes sun but the roots should be protected with mulch. These pretty purple flowers love to climb—consider creating a wire structure to wind around your mailbox and guide the plant's growth. Botanical Name: A hybrid cross between C. lanuginosa and C. viticellaSun Exposure: Full sun, partial sunSoil Type: Well draining, moistSoil pH: Neutral 02 of 18 'Autumn Joy' Sedum schnuddel/Getty Images This pretty pink plant is low-maintenance and grows into the fall, making it the perfect choice for your mailbox garden. It also attracts fall pollinators like bees and butterflies! As an easy-to-grow perennial, it is a heat- and drought-tolerant succulent. It is hardy to USDA Zones 3 to 9 and grows 1 foot, 6 inches to 2-feet tall and wide. There are many varieties of sedum, which also goes by the common name stonecrop. Botanical Name: Hylotelephium Herbstfreude 'Autumn Joy'Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Neutral to slightly alkaline 03 of 18 Lavender Burak Karademir/Getty Images Lavender is known for its ability to withstand harsh conditions, which makes it an ideal curbside plant. It won't be bothered by roadside salts and it bursts into bloom in direct sun. This perennial herb, hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 9, is edible and fragrant, and can be dried or used in cooking and cut arrangements. It blooms in summer with purple flowers and attracts butterflies and bees. It has a mounding form and grows 1- to 3-feet tall and wide. This herb is also called English lavender, true lavender, or common lavender. Botanical Name: Lavandula angustifoliaSun Exposure: Full sun, part shadeSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Neutral to alkaline 04 of 18 Zinnias Baldomir/Getty Images Attract all the bees, birds, and butterflies with colorful zinnias, a favorite flower amongst pollinators. These low-maintenance, easy-to-grow annuals come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and bloom types. Heights can range from 8-inch tall dwarf-sized varieties like the 'Thumbelina Dwarf Mix' to tall varieties like 'State Fair Mix' that can reach 4-feet high. Blooms can be single, double, or semi-double rows of petals, and you can pick one color to grow or mixes of vibrant colors. Enjoy zinnia blooms spring through fall. Botanical Name: Zinnia elegansSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Acid, alkaline, or neutral 05 of 18 Dianthus Allison Miksch In the family of carnations, dianthus will add a delicate touch to your curbside garden. Varieties grow in the fall and spring and, in addition to boasting interesting blooms, they'll beautifully perfume your mailbox garden. Perennial dianthus, called "pinks" because the flower petals look like they were trimmed with pinking sheers, are grown in USDA Zones 4 to 9. Dianthus attracts pollinators and grows 4 inches to 3-feet high with a spread between 1 to 2 feet. Botanical Name: Dianthus plumariusSun Exposure: Full sun, part shadeSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Neutral 06 of 18 Russian Sage Photo: White Oak Gardens If you're looking to fill in a large area, look no further than Russian sage. This full-growing, lush perennial, hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 9, provides a great backdrop to your mailbox. This low-maintenance shrub has a mounding growth habit, growing 2- to 4-feet high and wide. Purple flowers, which attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, bloom from June through October. Botanical Name: Salvia yangiiSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Acid, alkaline, or neutral 07 of 18 Summer Phlox bauhaus1000/Getty Images These perennials are a great choice if you're looking for ground coverage and a full, abundant appearance. It blooms through the summer and the fall. Phlox is a native wildflower that comes in pink, purple, and white. It can grow 1- to 5-feet high and 1 foot, 6 inches to 2-feet wide. This low-maintenance plant grows in USDA Zones 5 to 9. Botanical Name: Phlox CarolinaSun Exposure: Full sun, part shadeSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Acidic 08 of 18 Rugosa Rose lubilub/Getty Images Want the polished appearance of roses without all the intensive labor? Meet rugosa rose, also known as shrub roses. These shrubs grow in a mounded form 4- to 6-feet high and wide. This deciduous perennial, hardy in USDA Zones 2 to 7, attracts pollinators, blooming from May though the end of fall, and also producing fruit—bird-loving hips—in August. Botanical Name: Rosa rugosaSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Type: Moist, Well drainingSoil pH: Acidic to neutral 09 of 18 Daylilies Steve Bender Daylilies will last a long time with little care required, and they're a great colorful standout to set off green shrubbery. Bloom colors come in yellows, oranges, and reds. These bulb perennials, hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 9, work well as ground cover, growing 1- to 3-feet high and wide. They attract birds and butterflies with their beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers. Botanical Name: HemerocallisSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Type: Well draining, slightly moist, high in organic matterSoil pH: Slightly acidic 10 of 18 Columbine skhoward/Getty Images Want to grow your very own mailbox fairy garden? These magical-looking blooms love the shade, so they're a great option for shadowy curbsides. Columbine is a perennial that blooms from spring to summer and grows 1- to 3-feet high and 6 inches to 2-feet wide. It comes in a variety of colors and grows in USDA Zones 3 to 9. Botanical Name: AquilegiaSun Exposure: Part shadeSoil Type: Well-draining, moistSoil pH: Neutral to slightly acidic 11 of 18 Petunia Studio Omg/EyeEm/Getty Images You've likely seen these classic flowers in too many curbside garden beds to count, and it's for good reason. These annuals are easy to grow, love to soak up the sun, and bloom in abundant bursts of long-lasting color. Petunias attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and come is a variety of colors, flower sizes, and growth habits. Trailing or spreading petunias, like wave petunias, will create a carpet of color very quickly. Botanical Name: Petunia x hybridaSun Exposure: Full sun, part shadeSoil Type: moist well drainingSoil pH: Acidic 12 of 18 Mandevilla Steve Bender This tropical flowering vine will wind up your mailbox post to create a display with serious curb appeal. It's a classic bloom that adds great vertical space to your mailbox garden. Mandevilla is an annual that comes in white, red, pink, and yellow blooms and can grow between 3- to 10-feet high by 3- to 4-feet wide. Some mandevilla selections comes in mounded forms too, so make sure to get the vining type for your mailbox. Botanical Name: Mandevilla sanderiSun Exposure: Full sun, part shadeSoil Type: Well draining, moistSoil pH: Acidic to neutral 13 of 18 Lantana malcolm park/Getty Images Lantana will provide coverage very quickly around your mailbox while attracting birds and butterflies. Lantana blooms in white, yellow, purple, orange, and vibrant multicolored combinations. It grows in shrub or trailing forms. Lantana is an annual with some perennial selections, such as 'Chapel Hill' and 'Miss Huff,' that grow in USDA zones 7 to 11. Botanical Name: Lantana camaraSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Type: Well draining, moistSoil pH: Neutral 14 of 18 Rosemary Van Chaplin Not only is rosemary an attractive evergreen shrub to border your mailbox, it is an aromatic herb that can be dried or used for cooking or floral arrangements. Rosemary blooms—in white, pink, purple, or blue flowers—in June and July and attracts butterflies and bees. This perennial, in USDA Zones 8-10, grows up to 3- to 4-feet hight with a spread of 3- to 4-feet wide. Botanical Name: Salvia rosmarinusSun Exposure: FullSoil Type: Well draining, dry to medium moistureSoil pH: Acid 15 of 18 Coneflower Mieneke Andeweg-van Rijn/Getty Images Coneflower is a good candidate for mailboxes because they are easy to grow in poor soils and hot, humid, and dry conditions. As low-maintenance, native herb, coneflower grows 1- to 2-feet high with a 10-inch to 1- foot 6-inch spread. It's also a perennial that grows in USDA Zones 3 to 8. Flowers can be pink, purple, or white and attract birds, butterflies, and bees. Botanical Name: Echinacea angustifoliaSun Exposure: Full sun, partial shadeSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Acid, neutral 16 of 18 Black-Eyed Susan Nikki O'Keefe Images/Getty Images If your mailbox is near the street, water sources and soil condition may not be as ideal as further in. For a plant that can stand up to curbside conditions—look to black-eyed Susan, a drought-tolerant native wildflower. Flowers come in shades of yellow, orange, and red, attracting pollinators and birds. It grows 2- to 4-feet wide with a 1- to 2-feet spread. Botanical Name: Rudbeckia hirtaSun Exposure: Full sun, part shadeSoil Type: Well draining, moist, sometimes drySoil pH: Acid, alkaline, or neutral 17 of 18 Purslane Getty Images For a heat, drought-tolerant ground cover, try purslane, a succulent annual, by your mailbox. Also called moss rose, its blooms come in a wide variety of colors—yellow, orange, pink, red, and white—that close in the evening and on overcast days. Purslane attracts butterflies, and it is a spreading plant that grows up to 8-inches tall and about a foot wide. Botanical Name: PortalucaSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Acid, alkaline, or neutral 18 of 18 Blanket Flower Rüdiger Katterwe / EyeEm / Getty Images This native perennial is drought and salt tolerant making it a good candidate as a border near a street-adjacent mailbox. It's a mounding, spreading plant that grows up to 2 feet high and 1 foot, 6 inches wide. Blooms come in hot colors—yellow, orange, red, and variegated—and attract pollinators. Blanket flower is from the daisy family, is heat and humidity tolerant, and grows in USDA Zones 3 to 9. Botanical Name: GaillardiaSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Type: Well drainingSoil pH: Slightly acidic Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit