I would not trade the animals here for a nicer garden. I love where I live. I love walking my dogs at night and seeing deer and other creatures. I'm a big time animal lover and I know that their habitat has been destroyed by urban expansion. It's kind of our fault that they have to eat my plants to survive.
This is a bit late, after all the advice you've gotten, but I've found that strong, ornamental kitchen herbs are a life-saver. Rosemary especially is great, I've planted it around my chicken coop because it's not only pretty and useful, but the hens won't go near the stuff! Here's a list of other herbs wildlife will avoid.
I can plant Rosemary and sage here. That's a great idea!
It's not too late at all. Fall is setting in and I opted not to redo that planter this year. I figured I could spend some time getting suggestions and researching ideas for it. We've had a huge influx of animals. I've found moose scat, yes, moose, in my yard. It's going to be an interesting fall.