Flowers
You can crossbreed flowers to create unique hybrid colors. The best way to do this is to plant your flowers in a checkerboard pattern, leaving every other space open for different plants to pollinate and hybrid flowers to grow.
You don't have to water flowers to make them grow, but it speeds along the process. Grab your
Watering can
and get going!
Breeding Combinations
Behind the scenes, flower breeding using a complex genetic system based on 4 different (hidden) genes per individual flower - there are actually 83 varieties of Roses in the game!
You can read more in this in-depth guide, in this Reddit thread, or explore using this simulator.
Gold roses do not follow this pattern and are unique.
Lifecycle
When seeds are planted, they immediately become the 'sprouts' stage and can be dug up.
Sprouts are very small with no petals showing.
After a day of growth, they reach the 'stems' stage. They cannot yet reproduce.
Stems are full size, but do not show any petals.
After a day of growth, they reach the 'buds' stage. Buds can reproduce, but cannot be picked.
Buds show a hint of petals, but are closed.
After a day of growth, they reach the final 'plant' stage. Plants can reproduce and be picked (to obtain the picked flower item).
This stage shows full petals blooming.
Picking from a plant reverts it to the 'stem' stage, which cannot reproduce.
Trampling a plant (by running) will revert it to the 'buds' stage, which allows reproduciton, but not picking.