Animal Crossing: New Horizons Garden Critique

Real Homes’ Laura Crombie casts her professional eye over some creations and gives some handy tips

Animal Crossing: circle path
(Image credit: @ren04at)

You could say that your entire island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one big, beautiful garden just waiting to be filled with flowers, shrubs, trees, and all manner of furniture and accessories. With Update 2.0 and the Happy Home Paradise DLC now available, there are even more ways to make your greenery looking particularly appealing, with new items like castle walls and more to really take your landscaping to a new level. 

But, are what we're creating just a hodgepog of random items, or something rather special? In this video Real Homes’ very own Laura Crombie has been tasked with giving her opinion on four very different garden creations. Alysia, Ellen, Louise, and Tom have all opened the gates to their green-fingered masterpieces and are all hoping for a good review from the professional designer. Given that gardening in Animal Crossing includes tree positioning, paving choices, furniture, flowers, and even seasonal shrubs from everyone’s favourite sloth, Leif, every garden is entirely unique. And, as Laura discovers, sometimes there are anatomical models scattered amidst the trees…  

As well as rating each Animal Crossing garden area on how it would hold up in the real world, Laura also gives some handy IRL tips for making the most of your own green space. She talks about how you can add some depth and height to your garden with a focus on verticality when it comes to trees and plants, as well as adding water features to even the smallest of spaces for a relaxing twist. Each of the creators has made their perfect social spaces outside and Laura outlines how you can do that too with benches, fire-pits and dining areas ideal for BBQs with friends. Just don’t run too excitedly around the roses like one of the creators. As Laura notes, things might get a little thorny. 

All of Laura's brilliant tips can then be utilized when it comes to keeping your clients happy in the new Happy Home Paradise DLC too. On a brand new archipelago, you take on a role as the latest designer in the Paradise Planning office, helping Lottie, Wardell, and Niko create perfect vacation homes for a range of clients. You'll have to design their new homes on the inside and out, making sure that the garden is just as alluring as the interior for your client. So, take note, it's time to up your landscaping game.

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Laura Crombie

Laura Crombie is a journalist and TV presenter. She has written about homes and interiors for the last 17 years and was Editor of Real Homes before taking on her current position as Content Director for Country Homes & Interiors, 25 Beautiful Homes Period Living and Style at Home. She's an experienced home renovator and is currently DIY-renovating a 1960s house in Worcestershire. She's been quoted on home design and renovating in The Times, The Guardian, The Metro and more. She's also a TV presenter for QVC and has been a commentator for Channel 4 at Crufts dog show.

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