One day, after I had planted some red hyacinths outside of a neighbor’s house, I noticed something. A new hyacinth had started to grow outside of the neat little line I had planted in a simple act of reproduction that underpins one of Animal Crossing: New Horizons most complex and under-explained systems: flower breeding. Flower breeding is one of those long-term projects in the game, but you mostly have to figure out how it works by trial and error. Unless, of course, you have a guide.
The basics: two flowers of the same species will reproduce when placed next to each other. Depending on what color those flowers are, you might get a different color from the originals, even if they were both the same color. In order to reproduce, two flowers must be touching—diagonally counts—and they must be watered, either through the watering can or by rain.
After that, you wait. Combinations are not guaranteed, and it might take several days to get a new flower. There appears to be some RNG in the mix, as well. Two flowers of the same color that do not have a special combo will produce another flower of the same color.
Planting them in a checkerboard pattern will give you plenty of space for new flowers to form.
You’ll only have three flowers on your island, growing wild and available from Nook’s Cranny. For more flowers, you can hope to get them from mystery islands or you can trade with other players.
There are all kinds of different combinations that you can get in the game, some of them requiring multiple breeding rounds. Here are those, with credit to the Internet hive mind for putting it together. This is from a few sources, but here’s one.
Tulip
- Pink = Red + White
- Black = Red+ Red
- Orange = Red + Yellow
- Purple = Orange + Orange
Rose
- Pink = Red + White
- Orange = Red + Yellow
- Black = Red + Red
- Purple = White + White
- Blue = Orange + Orange
- Gold = Black + Black (requires gold watering can)
Lily
- Pink = Red + White,
- Pink= Red + Red
- Orange = Red + Yellow
- Black = Red + Red
Pansy
- Orange = Red + Yellow
- Blue = White + White
- Purple = Orange + Orange
- Purple= Blue + Blue
Cosmos
- Pink = Red + White
- Orange = Red + Yellow
- Black = Red + Red
Windflower
- Pink = Red + Red, Red + Orange
- Blue = White + White, Orange + White
- Purple = Blue + Blue, Blue + Pink
Hyacinth
- Pink = Red + White
- Orange = Red + Yellow
- Blue = White + White
- Purple = Blue + Blue
Mum
- Pink = Red + White
- Purple = White + White
- Green= purple+purple
Pansy
- Orange = Red + Yellow
- Blue = White + White
- Purple = Orange + Orange,
- Purple= Blue + Blue
Cosmos
- Pink = Red + White
- Orange = Red + Yellow
- Black = Red + Red
Windflower
- Pink = Red + Red, Red + Orange
- Blue = White + White, Orange + White
- Purple = Blue + Blue, Blue + Pink
Mum
- Pink = Red + White
- Purple = White + White
