Garden Photo of the Day

DeBorrah’s Garden Sanctuary

Transforming a boring bit of yard

wider view of garden transformation and surrounding garden beds

My name is DeBorrah Tibbs. I live in the hot Georgia Peach state in Smyrna. Gardening is my passion and is ever changing. I have gardened most of my life, growing up in a little town called Andover, Ohio, while living on a farm growing sustenance. As I got out on my own, flowers and shrubs became my main focus and passion. What I’d like to share is my before and after garden transformation. I took a bland backyard to what I now call my garden sanctuary. This has been a six-and-a-half-year journey that I think inspired me to started my own YouTube channel, Inspiring Garden Korner, in December 2022.

the finished garden sanctuary wit patio and lots of plantsThe finished garden sanctuary

garden before transformationHere’s the space as it looked before, just as work was started making the new garden. Not much to get excited about yet!

garden sanctuary in progress with hardscaping being built and some plants addedIt took a lot of work getting everything leveled and ready for building and planting.

garden coming together with containers and small plants and more hardscapingSometimes things have to get ugly before they get pretty, but plants in containers and a few in the ground are already making it feel like a garden even as the construction process continues.

finished garden sanctuary with raised patio and lots of surrounding shrubsThe project is all finished and planted up. Plantings include ‘Double Knockout’ roses (Rosa ‘Double Knockout’, Zones 5–9), woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata, Zones 3–8), ‘Little Limelight’ hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Limelight’, Zones 3–8), and jasmine (Jasminum officinale, Zones 7–10) in a flower box, which didn’t survive a freeze blast we had.

close up of garden bed with pink and purple flowers in bloomThese dianthus (Dianthus hybrids, Zones 5–9) are blooming their heads off.

wider view of garden transformation and surrounding garden bedsWe stained our fence in slate to make everything pop, and I believe that is accomplished.

 

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Comments

  1. bunny2luv 06/21/2023

    Wow, what a beautiful sanctuary! So much hard work paid off in a lovely result. Congratulations, and enjoy!

    1. Boasnake59_ 06/22/2023

      Thank you so much this is so my passion and love giving back to Mother Nature

  2. User avater
    simplesue 06/21/2023

    Wow what a super transformation of that space!
    Once a nothing place and now your sanctuary!
    I will subscribe to your Youtube!

    1. Boasnake59_ 06/22/2023

      Thank you so much for your support and taking this journey with me. Tell me what you think of the Garden Oasis’s I created for my neighbor plus it is a dedication to their daughter that passed

  3. btucker9675 06/21/2023

    What a marvelous job you've done creating this lovely garden. It must be extremely satisfying every time you're out there. Kudos!!

    1. Boasnake59_ 06/22/2023

      It is, with our long summers and fall we so enjoy it.

  4. User avater
    cynthia2020 06/21/2023

    DeBorrah, your love of gardening shines through. Thank you for sharing! I agree - the slate colored fence makes the plant colors pop. I wonder if you will try the jasmine again (as an annual?) so you can have the scent?

    1. Boasnake59_ 06/22/2023

      Thank you, I have a star jasmine in a pot by my patio that is doing well. I will bring inside when and if we get another one of those bad freezes.

  5. user-7821942 06/21/2023

    Nice work! Amazing how much staining the fence a dark color transformed and framed the garden. Beautiful.

    1. Boasnake59_ 06/22/2023

      I was a little hesitant to try it and husband looked at me sideways asking if I was sure. Now he is a believer lol

  6. angelaobrienruff 06/21/2023

    DeBorrah, your hard work has paid off and now you have a wonderful area to enjoy. I live in Seattle, Washington, zone 8b and have success growing Confederate jasmine in the ground. You could attach green wire fencing to your newly stained fence to provide a grid for jasmine to climb on. Because it is dark green the fencing disappears against a wood fence.

    1. Boasnake59_ 06/22/2023

      Thanks Angela, I don’t allow one failure to keep me from trying again.

  7. jos29803 06/21/2023

    You should be proud, inspired and eager to show off your gorgeous sanctuary. It looks so inviting and your imagination of your space is spot on. Enjoy your wonderful space.

    1. Boasnake59_ 06/22/2023

      Thank you, it is truly my happy space!!!

  8. Boasnake59_ 06/22/2023

    Thank you all for your kind words. When you do what you love I so enjoy sharing with the goal to inspire others.

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