Front Yard Flower Bed and Mail Box Makeover

Everyone in Fort McMurray, well probably Canada knows the golden rule about planting their flower beds and gardens.....WAIT UNTIL AFTER MAY LONG WEEKEND!!! And so after we got back from our freezing camping weekend, the sun conveniently appeared signalling it was time to get working in the yard.

The perennials shown in yellow, were already starting to pop up a week or two before May long weekend. The only new perennials I added this year were to the bottom row, 3 Dianthus'.  The rest of the space, I surrounded in annuals; petunias, pansies and marigolds.  I guess my colour scheme this year is pink and orange.  For the hanging basket on the trellis, I am trying out the Sweet Potato Vine which is supposed to be good in full sun and can grow quickly.  In the past, I've grown Sweet Peas but they just don't fill out enough, which doesn't provide us the desired privacy from neighbor that we would like in the summer.

To pretty it up some more, I filled a planter with Creeping Jenny, Dahlias and a tall green spiky plant in the back and a small pot with a marigold.

After the planting was done, I stood back and admired my work.  Something was off, something was lacking the style the front of the house deserves.

It was the mailbox.  Have a look at the rusty gold and black mailbox it once was and now the transformed and sleek holder of mail.  All it took was two even coats of Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint by Rustoleum which I got at Wal-Mart. 

   

For the final reveal:

What flowers do you plant in the spring? I would love suggestions! I am new to the gardening world as my green thumb is only a pale, pale shade of green.