Gardens are magical places. Sit in one long enough and you’ll see nature at work, in the form of birds, bugs, reptiles and rodents, not to mention your pets and the neighbor’s pets.

 But there’s another kind of critter that enhances any garden, one that’s always there when you want it. Consider the life-size English hare ($40) from Plow & Hearth. Alert and ready to scamper away, this all-weather resin statue isn’t going anywhere. Its only job is to lend charm and beauty to your surroundings.

Not to be outdone, the resin mossy frog ($33) has the added benefit of green coloring and spots.

But there’s more to lifelike garden accents than cast resin. Cast Iron Cabin sells all manner of cast iron creatures, like a lovely turtle ($7) and adorable hedge hog ($12). The cottage meadow accent birds (three for $13) at Tender Heart are made of terra cotta and manage to capture the fragility and plumpness of actual chicks. The site also features luck-be-a-ladybug yard art (below) that won’t be mistaken for the real thing.

Made of ceramic and metal wire, a two-piece set is $21. Speaking of unreal, check out George Carruth’s Sid Fish ($35) and Splash Fish ($20) garden statues at Yardiac. They’ve got human faces and fish bodies.

To further humanize your garden (and make the neighbors wonder about you), the site also sells “forest faces” that can be nailed into your trees to make them “come alive.” There’s a smiley face (pictured above), kissy face, sheepish face and more ($14, small; $20, large).

You can even hide a spare house key in this yellow finch ($8) or cat ($25). They’re not going to squeal.