New Horizons HQ

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

Combination Outcome
Red lilies + Yellow lilies Orange lilies 50% chance
Red lilies + Red lilies Black lilies 25% chance
Red lilies + Red lilies Pink lilies 25% chance
Red lilies + White lilies Pink lilies 50% chance
   
Red roses + Yellow roses Orange roses 50% chance
Red roses + Red roses Black roses 25% chance
Red roses + Red roses Pink roses 25% chance
Red roses + White roses Pink roses 50% chance
White roses + White roses Purple roses 25% chance
Black roses + Yellow roses Orange roses 100% chance
Orange roses + Purple roses Red roses (hybrid) 25% chance
Red roses (hybrid) + Red roses (hybrid) Blue roses 1.6% chance
Black roses + Black roses Gold roses 50% chance
Requires watering the black roses with the Golden watering can
   
Red mums + White mums Pink mums 100% chance
White mums + White mums Purple mums 25% chance
Red mums + Yellow mums Yellow mums (hybrid) 100% chance
Yellow mums (hybrid) + Yellow mums (hybrid) Green mums 6% chance
Yellow mums (hybrid) + Yellow mums (hybrid) Purple mums (hybrid) 25% chance
Purple mums (hybrid) + Purple mums (hybrid) Green mums 25% chance
   
Red pansies + Yellow pansies Orange pansies 100% chance
White pansies + White pansies Blue pansies 25% chance
Red pansies + Blue pansies Red pansies (hybrid) 100% chance
Red pansies (hybrid) + Red pansies (hybrid) Purple pansies 6% chance
   
Red windflowers + Orange windflowers Pink windflowers 100% chance
White windflowers + White windflowers Blue windflowers 25% chance
Red windflowers + Blue windflowers Red windflowers (hybrid) 100% chance
Pink windflowers + Blue windflowers Red windflowers (hybrid) 25% chance
Pink windflowers + Blue windflowers Pink windflowers (hybrid) 25% chance
Red windflowers (hybrid) + Red windflowers (hybrid) Purple windflowers 6% chance
Red windflowers (hybrid) + Pink windflowers (hybrid) Purple windflowers 6% chance
Pink windflowers (hybrid) + Pink windflowers (hybrid) Purple windflowers 6% chance
   
Red hyacinths + Yellow hyacinths Orange hyacinths 50% chance
Red hyacinths + White hyacinths Pink hyacinths 50% chance
White hyacinths + White hyacinths Blue hyacinths 25% chance
Orange hyacinths + Orange hyacinths Purple hyacinths 6% chance
Blue hyacinths (island) + Blue hyacinths (island) Purple hyacinths
   
Red cosmos + Yellow cosmos Orange cosmos 100% chance
Red cosmos + White cosmos Pink cosmos 100% chance
Orange cosmos + Orange cosmos Black cosmos 6% chance
   
Red tulips + Yellow tulips Orange tulips 50% chance
Red tulips + Red tulips Black tulips 25% chance
Red tulips + White tulips Pink tulips 50% chance
Black tulips + Black tulips Purple tulips 12% chance
   

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.