Adding Ornamental Grass And Mulch To Mailbox Area
August 4, 2008 – 6:22 pm | by jaygaulardcom
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Laura and I have been walking quite a bit. We are up to 3.7 miles per walk now. I never really thought that walking was much exercise until recently. When I hit that three mile point, I start feeling it. The feeling has been less and less intense though, so I guess I am getting in better shape.
We see a lot of things on our walks, and landscaping is one of them. One thing I notice in particular is what people do with their mailboxes. You could have guessed that. You know, your mailbox tells a lot about you. It tells what kind of person you are…not that it’s good or bad, just what you are like. I remember one guy back in Brewster had a mailbox that was 10 feet in the air. It read “Air Mail” on the side of it. That tells me he has a sense of humor. If you have a big iron mailbox, but have never had any previous mailbox smashed, that tells me you are kind of paranoid. If you have had a mailbox smashed and you went the iron route, I can see that you are smart.
Ok, this post really isn’t about mailboxes, it’s about the landscaping around them. I really like the idea of making the first thing people see when they come to visit us nice. I like a nice mailbox, a nice post and nice landscaping. As you may know, I already made the mailbox nice.
Today, I ran out to the local hardware store to pick up another yard of pine mulch. I wanted to use some for around the mailbox and the rest for another post I will most likely write tomorrow. Today’s post is about how I spruced up the mailbox area.
Here are a few pictures of what I did:
Mailbox before picture
This is a photo of the mailbox before I did anything to its surrounding area.
Digging out grass around mailbox
The first thing I did was to dig out the existing grass around the mailbox. I used the flat side of a pick-ax. It was pretty easy to get up. Then, I used a shovel to make the edges of the area nice and sharp.
Adding ornamental grass to mailbox area
After the area was prepped and ready for some plants, I added four ornamental grass plants to it.
Adding mulch to mailbox area
When the plants were the way I wanted them, I added three cubic feet of pine mulch over the dirt. This mulch will keep the weeds down and will also keep the dirt moist in between rain showers.
I still need to get a broom up there to clean the dirt off the street, but I think the area looks better than it did. Perhaps now, when someone goes for a walk, they can get an idea or two from what I have done.
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Tags: Brewster, grass, Landscaping, mailboxes, Mulch, pine mulch, plants
8 Responses to “Adding Ornamental Grass And Mulch To Mailbox Area”
By Glen on Aug 11, 2008 | Reply
“If you have a big iron mailbox, but have never had any previous mailbox smashed, that tells me you are kind of paranoid. If you have had a mailbox smashed and you went the iron route, I can see that you are smart.”
Actually, the average tincan mailbox lasts less than 3 years before it is damaged in some manner (through vandalism, wear and tear, or someone backing into it). The cheap Chinese-made models sold today with plastic latches break even more readily. When the latch doesn’t work perfectly the mail carrier isn’t going to fool with it - the box door hangs down and your mail gets soaked by rain, or stolen.
With mail theft and vandalism the way it is today, I would say a smart homeowner wouldn’t wait for the inevitable, but would purchase a heavy-duty locking mailbox and reinforced mounting, saving money in the long run by not replacing the box every couple of years.
By Mary on Aug 11, 2008 | Reply
Man, you were right about being paranoid. Holy cow!!!
I have had one mailbox stolen in the last 30 years. After I replaced it, the replacement remains to be the mailbox I use today. That was over 15 years ago.
I’ll go the cheap $13 Chinese route any day. Vandalism? Someone backing into it? Mail theft? Where the heck does this guy live???
By Glen on Aug 11, 2008 | Reply
The fact that mail theft or vandalism hasn’t happened to you yet Mary, is no insurance it won’t happen to you in the future. You imply that people living in ‘nice’ neighborhoods won’t have troubles with either, but you’re wrong. Mailbox vandalism is actually more prevalent in upscale communities - rich kids think it’s fun to smash the neighbor’s box with daddy’s car or truck. In poor neighborhoods, they just break into the houses.
Mailboxes aren’t what they were 30 years ago. Many don’t work very well, even new, and you’ll love your $13 Chinese-made mailbox when the hinges fall off, the latch breaks, and rust blooms underneath the improperly applied ‘rustproof’ finish. Been there, done that.
As to identity and mail theft, it’s reaching epidemic proportions (http://www.wfsb.com/money/16140319/detail.html . Rural residents aren’t immune either (http://www.wfsb.com/family/14166872/detail.html)
Make fun of the issue if you want to, but remember that crooks and vandals love to hit the easiest target. Who needs to hack internet transactions when you can just pop a mailbox lid?
By jaygaulardcom on Aug 12, 2008 | Reply
Ok, this is going to get heated. I can see it now. Wow, just a simple mailbox post.
I can see both points of view. Glen is just saying be careful…there are dirtbags out there. Mary is saying that even though there are dirtbags, she is willing to take that risk because she isn’t going to live her life in fear.
I can see both points of view.
You know, back in 1999, I remember the whole “Y2K” thing. There was a lady who called into a radio station and told the DJ about how she bought so much in the way of canned goods that she actually made a couch out of them. I bet she is still eating those canned goods today. She was paranoid and nothing came of it. All those statistics and all that news…NOTHING. All those links I am sure everyone emailed to one another.
Sure, we can live like that, a lot of people do. A lot of people make fun of those who stock their houses with a different types of guns for protection, but when it comes time to use them, they ain’t makin’ fun.
By Marc on Aug 13, 2008 | Reply
c’mon, leave the guy alone. he is obviously a mailbox salesman. why else would he be using the same tactics the government and media use? fear gets people to buy anything.
seriously, i dont care what anyone says. unless you live in some crack head city, there aren’t no meth heads walking around your neighborhood. let’s just put bars on the windows and lock ourselves inside while we’re at it. we’ll be safe then.
By Moore on Aug 13, 2008 | Reply
Marc’s right, he’s no doubt uncovered an elaborate government conspiracy involving government, the media, and mailbox salesmen. Since it’s a proven fact that drug users always stay in crackhead cities and don’t have access to cars or other transportation, your mail is safe. Sheesh, talk about burying your head in the sand..
On that point, I would like to add a clipping from my homeowner’s association newsletter (homes ranging $750k -$2M):
“For those of you who have lived here a while and still don’t have a secure mailbox installed, I should remind you that in November 2004 one of our neighbors had her mail stolen which led to thieves draining $3,000 out of her checking account. Then on May 4, 2005 the local paper published an article reporting that police officers also recovered a letter from suspected burglars that had been written by someone in prison. The letter instructed them on how to target affluent communities. It also gave advice on how to target mailboxes for identity theft. Install your secure mailbox now; don’t wait until it’s too late”.
Good luck with your own neighborhood!
By Marc on Aug 13, 2008 | Reply
Ok maybe i am being foolish. how does it work? does each mailbox have a key and the mailman have a huge keyring or does the entire neighborhood use the same key?
how many mailboxes would you say are on any one route? let’s say 250. thats conservative. does the mailman have 250 keys?
By Glen on Aug 15, 2008 | Reply
The mail carrier doesn’t keep keys to a curbside locking mailbox. You keep them. Works just like those blue USPS collection boxes have worked for the last 100 years, only in miniature, and now the mail carrier does the dropping off, while you handle the key and the mail retrieval.
Mailman comes by, drops your mail into the mailbox slot of your locking mailbox or (depending upon the design), opens a door and deposits your mail - no key. Your mail falls down into a secure locked lower area of the mailbox.
You come by later, unlock the door to the lower compartment, and retrieve your mail. Easy. There are now U.S. Postmaster-approved versions on the market, just like regular mailboxes. My advice would be to get one in heavy-gauge steel, and to make sure you get a design that’s not easily pried with a screwdriver or other simple tool. I’d make more specific recommendations, but don’t care to be accused of being a mailbox salesman, so you can do your own research…