Welcome! One driveway entry idea

Here is the "welcome area" in mid-August.
     

This photo was taken after the entry garden was first planted, in June.

    The rural setting for our home includes a long, curvy driveway with a mailbox and newspaper box at the entry.

    This area is ripe for decor. There is mail delivery, six days a week, and an increasing number of other drivers stopping by. 

    Initial appearances can be welcoming, or a turnoff.

    Several years ago I voted for a welcoming vibe. It was pretty easy to establish this small area:

    1. Cut the sod in a circle around the mail and newspaper boxes.

    2. Remove the sod.

    3. Dump in a bag of good soil, and mix with existing soil.

    4. Choose plants, and place four of them in succession around the circle.

    5. Mulch.

    I added cobblestones to the circle edge and have gotten seasonal with the flowers. This year, in May, I planted two yellow marigolds and two SunPatiens. I keep them fertilized and faithfully watered. (The SunPatiens, in particular, suck up the water.)

    SunPatiens, introduced to the United States from Indonesia in 2006, are just like the name: Impatiens that can handle sunny and humid conditions. I have these two in full sun; a basic Impatien is in back, in a shady spot under the Weeping Mulberry tree.

    In September I'll replace these four annuals with two mums. Last autumn I chose two Kale plants. These four worked like a dream in cooler weather and lived for months; I cleaned them out before the new plantings in May.

    In the winter I artfully arrange the cobblestones on the surface of the soil. Our road is regularly plowed and this garden is very close to the edge of it.

    In addition, our location has historically been ripe for mailbox destruction. We've lost it four times in the 28 years we've lived here. Most recent was when a local school bus tried to turn around and hit it.

    Right now the boxes are fairly new because of that accident. The area looks pretty good and I like to think at least some of the delivery folks appreciate the efforts!

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