Another Wednesday, another garden.

On our island, there are countless deer and goats that roam freely. They devastate gardens where innocent former city dweller naively plant glorious perennials and other such, dreaming of the future Eden they are creating… only to find their new plantings defoliated or razed to the ground in the morning.

Even so-called “deer proof” plants are fair game in these parts… Our deer are hard-core. And the goats, well, they are four-legged Hell’s Angels. They will tear, shred and ravage anything.

For several years, we relied on the safe standbys in the front garden: thyme, rosemary, Spanish lavender and juniper.

But a few weeks ago, the goats helped me convince my husband that a deer fence was in our best interest. You see, the goats invaded early one morning and savaged a young evergreen tree my husband had grown from seed. An Australian something or other. Looked like an upright juniper to me. It was seven feet tall, doing well. No more. It’s been debarked, and telltale teeth marks left on its trunk…

So, a deer fence is being installed right now. I walk the perimeter of our new deer “exclosure” (love that term!) and my mind reels! All kinds of possibilities are opening.

So I started a plant list and next, I will draft a planting scheme. Yesterday afternoon, I did some research. I invited myself to a friend’s garden, to check out some of the plants she suggested… and others. She took the time to walk me around her (very large and impressive) garden, and generously shared her knowledge. What follows is a visual report. Enjoy.