A Complete Guide to the New 'Animal Crossing' Shrubs
Updated April 23 2020, 1:58 p.m. ET
Fans of Animal Crossing: New Horizons woke up on April 23 to a new update with a lot of exciting features, including a new museum expansion and Nature Day celebration. But the feature horticulturalists are most excited about is the new flowering shrubs players can plant around their island. Read on for a complete guide to the species of flowering shrubs on Animal Crossing, as well as everything we know about your new merchant, Leif, and how to build hedges.
These are all the 'Animal Crossing' shrubs you can now purchase and plant.
Joining the roster of visiting merchants on your island is Leif, a very cheerful sloth who loves shrubs and hates weeds. He will not be around every day, but players should receive frequent visits from Leif, who will operate a gardening stall in the plaza.
So far, it seems there are six species of flowering shrubs in a variety of colors, each retailing for 280 bells:
- Azaleas: white and pink
- Camellias: pink and red
- Hibiscus: red and yellow
- Holly: comes in one color, red
- Hydrangeas: blue and pink
- Tea olive: orange and yellow
Like flowers, shrub starts are not fully formed bushes the day you plant them, but within a few days you should have full, leafy shrubs. When they're in season, they'll be full of colorful blooms, but unlike regular flowers, they will not flower year-round, nor will the sprout up naturally elsewhere or cross-pollinate to form new colors.
What time of year are shrubs in bloom on 'Animal Crossing'?
Sadly, shrubs are in season for only a few months, so don't be alarmed if, when your bushes are fully grown, they don't have any flowers. In the northern hemisphere, they bloom as follows:
- Camellias: January–March
- Azaleas: April–May
- Hydrangeas: June–July
- Hibiscus: August–Early September
- Tea Olive: Late September - October
- Holly: November - December
Another benefit of Leif's visits: weeds are double the price.
Normally, collecting weeds on your island and selling them is a pretty low-yield way to make money, but Leif wants to incentivize you to rid your island of unwanted plants, so he will buy them for 20 bells apiece, twice what Timmy and Tommy offer. If you've already rid your island of weeds, it may be a good idea to cash in some Nook Miles and purchase a Mystery Island Ticket or two. That way you can clear the island you visit of weeds and sell them for a handsome sum when you return.
However, you may want to hang onto some of those weeds for yourself, because Tom Nook is also offering players who have downloaded the latest update a DIY recipe to make hedges. These topiary-style bushes are different from the shrubs you purchase from Leif. They work like other types of fencing and they're constructed of 10 clumps of weeds, five tree branches, and two stones.
For a limited time, there are additional Nook Miles rewards for planting shrubs.
In honor of the Nature Day event, Tom Nook will be offering additional Nook Miles rewards for planting shrubs, so it behooves you to buy a ton of starts from Leif. He will usually carry three species in a few color options, and the selection will change each time he visits.
How often does Leif visit?
It's too early to tell, but our best guess is that you can expect to see Leif at least once a week, similar to other traveling merchants. Hopefully, with a later update, we will be able to establish a permanent shop for Leif on the island.