Animal Crossing: New Horizons — A guide to Leif and his rare shrubs and flowers

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has lots of plants to choose from. Between a wide variety of flowers and numerous fruit trees, there's plenty for the gardener we all wish we could be to do. Thanks to a recent update, there are even more plants to choose from thanks to one awesome sloth: Leif! He's finally here with shrubs and flowers galore and we here at iMore have all the details!

Who is Leif and when will he come to my island?

Introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Leif is a sloth who loves flowers, shrubs, bushes, and any other plants. Beginning April 23, 2020, he finally made his debut in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a regular visitor to your island. He shows up in the plaza outside Resident Services with a cart full of shrubs and rare flowers for you to buy. He also rewards your gardening efforts by buying up any weeds you bring him for twice the price Nook's Cranny will pay. He normally only visits once a week, but during the Nature Day event, which runs from April 23-May 4, he visits more frequently.

What are shrubs and how do I grow them?

In addition to bringing you flower seeds that wouldn't normally show up at Nook's Cranny, Leif also sells shrub starts. These start off looking like tree saplings, but the shrub that results from them is more like a flowering bush. Unlike flowers or fruit bearing trees, shrubs are seasonal. The bushes will be around all year, but will only flower during specific months.

Once you've purchased a shrub start, you can plant it by following these easy steps:

1. Pick a spot in the grass where you would like to grow a shrub. Hint: shrubs need soil to grow so don't plant them on the beach!
2. Using a shovel, dig a hole.

3. Select the shrub start from your inventory.

4. Press A to select "Plant 1".

5. Repeat until you've planted all your shrub starts.

Unlike trees, which require space for the roots to grow, shrubs can be planted side-by-side like your flowers.

What are all the shrubs available?

Currently, Leif sells six species of shrub starts in a variety of colors.

• Azalea starts can be purchased in pink or white. Currently in season
• Camellia starts can be purchases in pink or red.
• Hibiscus starts can be purchased in yellow or red.
• Holly starts only come in red.
• Hydrangea starts can be purchased in blue or pink.
• Tea-Olive starts can be purchased in yellow or orange.

These nine varieties are all you can purchase from Leif right now, but we'll keep the list updated in case Nintendo adds any more.

Do shrubs make hybrid colors?

While there is a way to crossbreed different colors of flowers to make hybrid colors, we don't know if shrubs will work the same way yet. As soon as we know, we'll update you here!

Questions?

Do you have any questions about growing shrubs on your island paradise? Has Leif made it to your town yet? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to check out our many other Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides for all your Nook approved goodness!