What Kind of Flowers to Plant at a Mailbox?

Neither too big to block the mail carrier's way, nor too small as to disappear, flowers around a mailbox need to be just the right size to enhance but not overpower the space. Consider, too, whether your mailbox gets full sun, partial sun or shade, whether it's in a spot where you will be able to water the plants, and whether plants have thorns or attracts bees that will pose a hazard to the mail carrier. Picking plants that match your garden's style provides a cohesive look.

If the mailbox is in shade most of the day and gets regular water at least once a week, choose an evergreen fern, grouping a few around the sides and back of the mailbox. Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina), which has lacy, light green fronds that begin at soil level, grows 1 to 3 feet tall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum), which features darker green and sturdy fronds, grows in USDA zones 3 through 8 and reaches 2 to 4 feet tall. For sunnier locations, choose Alpine water fern (Blechnum penna-marina), which grows up to 6 inches tall in USDA zones 7 to 10. Its leaves turn from coppery red in the spring to green.

For summer color in a sunny spot, a mix of annuals in various heights gives a cheery look to the mailbox. Include taller flowers toward the back of the mailbox such as pink, red or violet cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), growing 1 to 4 feet tall and blooming from early summer until frost in USDA zones 2 through 11. For the front and side of the mailbox, plant bright red, pink or white geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum), which are winter hardy in USDA zones 10 through 11, and bright yellow marigolds (Tagetes patula), which grow in USDA zones 2 through 11. The green leaves of all these plants add even more color.

Ornamental grasses come in a variety of heights, appropriate for planting on all sides of a mailbox. Place bright green, tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa) around the front of a mailbox that gets partial shade in USDA zones 4 through 9. It grows from 2 to 3 feet tall. For the back of the mailbox in full sun or partial shade, northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) provide graceful seed heads with green hues in spring that turn purplish bronze in late summer in USDA zones 3 through 8.

Plants native to your region will be more likely to thrive with little maintenance, an important feature for a mailbox on the outskirts of the property. All parts of the country have wildflowers that come back year after year, such as California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), native to both California and Oregon but which also grow in USDA zones 6 through 10. In USDA zones 8 through 10, choose one of the six bluebonnet (Lupinus) species native to Texas for a low-growing flower in blue or lavender. In the Midwest, choose black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), which also grows in USDA zones 3 through 9.