Three design-friendly ways to attract the right critters to your garden

The Insect Hotel by Cox and Cox (£25 through www.coxandcox.co.uk) allows ladybugs and lacewings (both of which help prevent aphid infestations) as well as wild mason bees (excellent pollinators) to nest in its many cracks and crevices.

To address the declining bee population, Toronto’s National Design Collective has crafted a pollinator called the City Hive. Clad in cedar to insulate combs, the prototype ($2,800 through www.thenationaldesigncollective.ca) allows the bees to spend less energy on acclimating their home and more on producing honey.

Produced by Ottawa’s N-Product, the Inner City Birdhouse ($85 though www.n-product.com) is an aviary with edge: Made of laser-cut wood, it resembles a downtown low-rise and is tagged with playful graffiti slogans such as Cats Sux and Fly or Die.