Yeah, we’re those neighbors — the ones who spend so much time fixing up the interior (and wrangling a toddler) that the yard falls behind. Our mailbox area had become a mini weed festival:
And poking out of that overgrowth was a little statue peeking through.
It turned out to be a small iron squirrel the previous owners left behind. I’ve grown fond of him and even occasionally give him a gentle pat. We call him Norman.
The obvious first step in our mailbox makeover was weeding — for the first time in about six months. Apart from some help from me and the kid here and there, we hadn’t touched it since we moved in.
I scooped up a bucket and filled it five times with everything sprouting around the mailbox post:
Next we laid down landscaping fabric to keep those relentless weeds from returning (we now accept that we’re not the most diligent weeders). Then we picked up two inexpensive pots of fast-growing petunias from the garden center. These petunias bloom all summer and spread outward, so they should eventually fill in the space without needing a dozen different plants.
We cut small X-shaped slits in the fabric and planted the petunias, letting their roots grow beneath the barrier while creating just enough opening for the flowers to emerge — hopefully without a lot of weeds poking back through.
After planting we added a thin layer of topsoil to settle everything and finished with a generous layer of mulch to help retain moisture and suppress further weeds. I’m looking forward to watching them creep outward and fill the mulched area with blooms.
In the photo above you might notice a gray patch on the side of the post — that’s where our house numbers are, and I obscured them for privacy. There was also a large blank sign that we concealed for the same reason; we take a few extra precautions when sharing our home online. Our alarm company also recommended we not advertise their name publicly, so we honored that suggestion for added security.
We appreciated the company’s caution — they take security seriously. What we didn’t love, though, was that three small security signs were cluttering the mailbox. Normally a single sign faces the street near the post base, but there was an old electric-fence sign and two alarm signs stacked on the mailbox arm. After a bit of debate, J and I removed the extra signs and decided to hang one alarm sign near the base of the post instead. Here I am after taking down the alarm signs and starting to remove the electric-fence sign.
Oh, and I added a little fabric heart to my shorts for modesty in the photo. The real story is the pink arrow in the picture, which points to this discovery:
We uncovered a wasp or hornet nest tucked behind the signs. Yikes. I left it alone at first and it left me alone — thankfully. We planned to remove it later in the evening when activity would be lower.
Update: That evening the nest appeared to be unattended, so I layered on protective clothing and used a long yardstick to dislodge the nest from a safe distance. It seemed empty, and nothing rushed out, so I stomped on it a few times to be sure. Done. I’ll keep an eye out in case they return, but removing the signs likely reduced the nest’s cover and should help discourage a comeback.
After rehanging a single alarm sign at the base of the post, things looked much cleaner. If I ever get ambitious I might spray the mailbox with oil-rubbed bronze paint to refresh its finish and paint the post a glossy coordinating color. There’s also a small birdhouse mounted on the back of the post — a tiny family of birds lives there and they all flutter out when we go to the mailbox. It’s charming.
Norman the squirrel stuck around, too. He’s now sitting happily among fresh mulch and cheerful petunias:
So no, we didn’t overhaul the whole block, but this was a quick, effective fix that turned an embarrassing patch into a nice little mailbox vignette:
Have you been making quick curb-appeal updates? Tried weed-block fabric beyond a patio? Found a decorative critter you love, or come face-to-face with a bee or hornet nest? Share your stories.