In a quiet street in Coconut Grove, Florida, modest homes reside comfortably on groomed lawns, with an occasional palm punctuating the landscape. In one lovely spot, however, a tropical oasis oozes over the curb, with effusive greenery supporting outbursts of shrieking pink bougainvillea and flamboyant firecracker plant.

By day, Deborah Balter teaches aviation language skills. After hours of highly skilled work, she shifts gears, becoming an artist, designer, and adventurer. This equatorial Eden is her canvas, drawing board, and urban rain forest. It is an enigmatic garden--tranquil and spirited, serious and animated, intimate and sociable.

The appearance of grand scale and large proportions is an illusion, a part of Deborah's mystical approach to design. Her garden, which feels so big, is squeezed into a petite 67 x 140 feet. Every inch of that space is deliberately planned and planted to instigate curiosity and wonder. "The garden is my palette--it fulfills my need to create. The colors, textures, plants, and placement are all part of my creative process," she says.

An unyielding spirit of adventure feeds Deborah's artistic appetite, while her travels from the Tropics to the Orient fuel her garden's design. "A tropical climate signifies easy living, beauty, and lushness," she says. The framework of the garden is established with palms--some native and some exotic. "I've always been enchanted with palms. They hold an enormous amount of romance," she says. In addition, the towering trees are used to generate depth by going up--a design trick for small spaces.