Ready for another update on what we’ve been doing outdoors? This time it’s all about repurposing some volunteer hostas that popped up in our backyard. The back garden bed is a bit chaotic, but these extra hostas were thriving and not really doing us any favors where they were, so we decided to move them to more useful spots around the front yard.

We dug up about five of the volunteer hostas and planned to give them new homes. First stop: the mailbox planting area, which had become weedy and neglected this spring. The mums that had been there were just dead sticks through the winter, and overall the whole spot needed some attention and curb appeal.

Before we started, the mailbox bed looked messy—there was even a big rock temporarily placed there and an iron squirrel ornament that had toppled over behind a struggling daffodil. It wasn’t the best first impression for neighbors, so we set out to clean it up.

We pulled all the weeds from the driveway and the surrounding bed, which made a dramatic difference. The iron squirrel was tucked into a bit of liriope for the time being, which helped tidy the look until we could finalize the planting.

We considered expanding the planting bed around the mailbox to create a more graceful curve and more visual impact. That would be ideal for better curb appeal, but it was a bigger job than we were ready for that day. Instead, we decided to make a quick improvement by planting some annuals and moving in a few of the hostas.

We picked up three pots of petunias and combined them with three of the transplanted hostas. The arrangement looks a little sparse now, but we’ve seen how well flowers and shade-loving perennials fill in this area, so we expect it to look lush within a month or two.

After planting, we added a layer of dark wood mulch. Mulch instantly ties a planting together and makes it look finished. It’s also worth noting how mulch fades with sun and pollen; the fresh dark color lightens over a few weeks, so it won’t stay jet-black forever. We usually use the darkest brown wood mulch available from the big-box store, often on sale. In the future we’d like to order a bulk delivery to save money and get a more even coverage across all the beds.

With a few hostas still left over, we planted them in an empty section of the front planting bed. Those hostas will grow larger through the season—many varieties expand to 20 inches or more—so they’ll quickly look less “dinky” and become a solid foundation for the bed.

Once mulched and settled, the new plantings gave the front bed a cleaner, more intentional look. The difference isn’t dramatic in photos right away, but in person the area already feels more pulled together. We’ve also got other improvements in progress that will continue to lift the whole landscape over time.

Hostas are one of our favorite shade plants because they’re tough and forgiving. They consistently return and spread, and we’ve never had much trouble keeping them alive. In fact, we once found a hosta that had survived for months inside a sealed tub in the basement without light or water. When it sprouted in spring we laughed—clearly they are resilient and low-maintenance additions to the yard.

If you have volunteer plants popping up around your yard, consider moving them to fill gaps or revitalize neglected spots. Transplanting is a cost-effective way to improve curb appeal without buying a lot of new plants, and hardy perennials like hostas usually adapt well to new locations.

P.S. We should update our master list of outdoor tasks soon—there’s been a lot of slow progress, but we’re pleasantly surprised by how many things we can cross off already.