Ever wonder what to plant in that problematic little mailbox planter? While it’s intended as a living and attractive welcome, it’s often anything but living or attractive.
The mailbox planter is a poorly conceived idea – a tiny raised island of green between the sidewalk and street with lots of reflected heat, prone to drying out long before any rain shower offers relief, and often poorly drained when it does rain. No wonder exasperated homeowners resort to perky silk flower bouquets, which the intense Texas sun quickly fades to artificial tackiness!
However, on a recent walk around my neighborhood, I spotted two solutions using native plants that are often considered problematic weeds – the dreaded purple bindweed (Ipomoea cordatotriloba) and Sorrelvine (Cissus trifoliata). I’m guessing that neither of these natives was planted intentionally but gifted by a bird. In all likelihood, these natives became established due to homeowner neglect or a “well, at least it’s green” desperation. But given time, these happy accidents could prove to be attractive and hardy solutions to the mailbox planter quandary.
Check out the links to Purple Bindweed and Sorrelvine:
https://www.npsot.org/posts/native-plant/ipomoea-cordatotril…
