I don't think it needs any further decoration. It needs plants. English ivy and burning bushes, two invasives, are growing there, so there must be something non invasive which would suit.

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK The English ivy is my neighbors and I have actually been able to control without too much hassle. If necessary I can cut it back further. Thankfully it's taking over more of their side than mine. I think plants would great in that little nook, but I don't have a way to keep them watered with a hose. It's a long walk down our 3/4 acre gravel driveway to carry a watering can ;-)

Plant native plants and let the rain take care of them naturally.

As your local nursery about suitable plants. Something colorful or varigated foliage for interest.

Watering is for sissies.

The list of plants that should do fine in Ohio without watering, once established, is long. Very long. Very, very long. Very, very, very long. So long, that it is hard to narrow it down without more unput.

“As your local nursery about suitable plants.”

Definitely…and show them the photos you posted here.

Since you mentioned ”decorate,” do you do anything to the mailbox itself for holidays…if it appeals? A small swag tied to the very top/finial can be nice. These are some simple ones I made for both our mailbox and lamp post. I don’t have a photo but our mailbox is similar to yours.

@chloebud Thank you for the great ideas for the mailbox and lamppost. I really like the idea of the lamppost. Unfotunately, the tree that is creating the shade over the space is covering a lot of the light that should come from the lamppost. But I will certainly look at ideas for adding some color to the mailbox for the holidays!

@mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY) It appears that you reside in an area that is not undergoing a severe drought, such as the one we have been facing for quite some time now. Given that the area I'm looking at is covered by a very large 30-year-old tree, a lot of moisture is kept out. So, I'm dealing with an area that doesn't get much water and little sunlight, which makes it tough to establish a plant that can survive unattended. If you have a very, very, very, long list of plants that can be established under those conditions in Ohio (or a website you can direct me to), I would be very, very, very interested. Any helpful information is greatly appreciated.

It would be pretty with white flowers.

Normally I wouldn't advocate ivy. But since it seems happy you could just let it spread as far as the artificial stone wall and then keep it clipped tight. Or perhaps you could try Sarcococca. Shiny green leaves, couple of feet tall and small but highly scented flowers in winter. Iris foetidissima, while not much in the flower department, grows happily in dry shade and would give a contrasting foliage shape.

White flowers do look good in shade but I can't think of many that can do without light and compete with ivy. The shade appears to come from deciduous trees so you might have luck with white crocuses or some white native ephemerals which flower before the leaves come in. White Cyclamen hederifolium flower in late summer and don't mind the shade of deciduous trees. They produce marbled leaves in winter which disappear in summer.

Or there's Cyclamen coum which flowers in late summer.

Whether these suggestions would work in your climate I can't say but they're all pretty hardy.

Regarding watering, which should only be needed while plants are establishing, perhaps you could put some jugs of water in your car whenever you go out, stop at the end of the drive and empty them on the bed. No walking with cans required.

Just plant Geranium maccrorrhizum. Not native but will do great in that area. Slowly spreading, highly weed suppressing, great for dry area, evergreen, flowers in spring, highly deer resistant, needs virtually no attention. Absolutely perfect groundcover for shade or part shade.

I was thinking of geranium macrorrhizum too. I have planted it in a few spots of dry shade. One place I planted it does get some late day sun, but that only seems to make the area drier, plus its under maples as well, and the geranium is doing pretty good. It might need a bit of supplemental watering especially while establishing, but I like floral's idea of the milk jugs in your car. A bit tedious, but that's how the garden clubs and scouts around here do it for the spots they've "adopted" around town. You always see people getting out of their cars with jugs of water lol.

Maybe a nice wrought iron bench (to match the feel of the mailbox and lamp post), or a piece of garden art, would help to take up some of the visual space, if you are not worried about them walking.

In looking again at your photos, are you wanting something for the entire area? Or just in the smaller area surrounded by the blocks?

:)

Dee

We don't know where you live. We don't know what zone you plant in. The way you describe the amount of sun means nothing NOTHING blooming will thrive there. There is much information you didn't give so perhaps it's possible. Snow removal. Is that a thing in your area?? That impacts most that is planted near the edge of roads. There is nothing NOTHING you will plant that will not need babying for several weeks. If you are unable to haul a watering can to that area have a landscape guy come and put down a decorative rock area. In my area planting for survival until next spring is past. I don't have 6 weeks until hard frosts. Best advise is go to your local nursery and have this conversation. Me I would plant hosta. Once established they take a lot of neglect. And it wouldn't be one in that hole you circled. It would be a bed that surrounds the lamp post and mail box from the street edge back to the bushes. Or as I said do that with rock.

In that case add a large boulder or big log. It's a woodsy entrance and I really don't think it needs more decoration. You already have a decorative lamp standard and mail box.

I still stand by my original idea of a bench. I know at first thought it seems odd to have a bench where no one will likely sit, lol, but there are several houses in my area where there are benches by the end of the driveway, from very rustic-looking, obvious DIY jobs, to fancy wood and decorative iron ones. Mostly they serve a practical function, since there are many long driveways and no sidewalks here - they are for the kids (and parents) to sit on while waiting for the school buses. But for most of the day they are not in use, and when I drive by at any time of day I find them to be very welcoming for some reason.

You could also just put in a little run of white picket fence. It would pop in the shade and give some visual substance to the area. Who knows? You may even want to add some boxes on the fence with some shade-tolerant annuals for a bit of color too.

And again, some garden art of your choice, if you don't think it will be taken. Or floral's idea of a big boulder.

:)

Dee

LOL, ok now it's time for ME to apologize! AFTER I wrote my post above I went back to re-read your original one, which I should have read BEFORE posting again.

If the area you want decorated is just that small spot circle in blue, then never mind the bench lol. Or the fence. But a large rock or small piece of art might work there. How about just a birdbath? A nice trellis? It doesn't necessarily have to have anything growing on it. I have some trellises that I think are so nice I actually am a bit disappointed when they get covered with vines!

I will just add this. To my eye, the area you circled doesn't pop out to me as needing something, at least not when I first looked at your photo. What catches my eye is the big empty expanse of gravel. To me, THAT is what needs something more, visually speaking. However, as someone whose driveway is in the middle of a blind curve, I understand if you need to keep that clear for safety reasons. If you don't, then I offer up my suggestions of a bench, fence or art to help visually fill that large open area. Something like that, with an appropriate, low-growing groundcover, would make for a very inviting entry, imo.

Good luck with your decision, and let us know what you decide!

:)

Dee

P.S. Can you post a close-up of the face you say is in the tree? I can't see it but would love to!

I wonder about a smooth boulder or two with a few of the suggested plantings tucked around them (I love boulders for creating height and structure without needing water)

(i don’t mean to suggest this arrangement just the type of boulders I was thinking about)

Japanese painted fern are great in shady areas. They have silvery leaves that stand out in the darker shady areas. They also proliferate but are not really invasive. Don't need a lot of water either.

@diggerdee zone 6 CT Tree man added just for you ;-)

@diggerdee zone 6 CT A bench...I have one! Now that I can picture, with maybe a garden flag on shepherd's hook that I change out with the season.

Oh NOW I see tree man! Lol. Thank you rutabaga for that photo - I completely missed him the first time.

Let us know what you decide to do!

:)

Dee

Careful with the garden 'art'. It's easy to spill over into tacky. Treeman is close to the edge but still fun. I don't think he needs competition.

I still think the Cyclamen could work. I took this today. Happily flowering through ivy under yews and cedars in a shady cemetery.

.

I wouldn't do more flags with the US flag right there. It's such a small area-maybe just get some nice edging bricks and continue them around the corner. Then let the ivy continue over or a few big boulders. Or a nice house number sign in the ground-Etsy has many.

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK @kcooz07 Your posts have provided me the perfect opportunity to address the American flag. It is actually there only five times a year. There's a program in our town that places American flags in front of subscriber's homes and businesses to raise funds for youth programs. It's called Avenue of Flags. So at each of America's five patriotic holidays, volunteers mount an American flag in the ground next to your mailbox and it's left there for a couple of weeks surrounding that holiday. I think a themed garden flag to represent the patriotic holiday could add a touch of class and support. To clean up the area, I'll level the bench, prepare a spot for the small shepherds hook for the garden flag, and cover the ground with fresh mulch. The tree face is simply a fun way to greet the postman. I believe the bench is an ideal addition because it conveys a nice message to the handful of people who take daily walks by the entrance to our driveway. I suppose this is our idea of curb appeal, despite the fact that our house is hidden down our lengthy gravel driveway. I don't think it'd be tacky. But, of course, that is in the eye of the beholder.