Backyard Peek-a-Zoo

Gardeners are used to occasional sightings of backyard critters, from squirrels to possums. But artist Marian Flahavin hopes to liven up their flower beds and shrubs with something a bit more exotic.

That’s why she created Garden Peekers, realistic-looking, often life-size, animal heads handcrafted in polystone, a blend of marble and high-tech resin. Now you can have a giraffe gazing over your fence, a llama scoping the scene from the bushes, an ostrich warily watching from a ficus or a deer popping out from the ivy.

“I think people respond to the novelty of having an animal in [their] bushes,” says Flahavin, a portrait painter and sculptor. “It’s not that unusual with deer, but not that many people have giraffes.”

Flahavin is no stranger to actual wildlife. Deer frequently roam her yard, and she’s seen elk and moose near her Spokane, Wash., home. She promises more animals are on the way but won’t say what they are. No doubt they’ll be turning heads.

Garden Peekers by Michael Gordon Ltd. are $59.99 to $79.99; a line of smaller Plant Peekers, ranging in size from 3 1/2 to 4 inches, are $5.99. They’re available via the Web at https://www.homegardengift.com, or by calling (800) 573-9839.