Animal Crossing: New Horizons flower breeding guide

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released in 2020 and rapidly gained immense popularity thanks to its world of endless possibilities where the only limits are your creativity and the battery life of your Switch. For instance, if you're an enthusiast of similar experiences, check out our selection of the best simulation games for Switch that might pique your interest.

Getting back on track, while you are on your journey you'll discover a wide variety of flowers you can nurture. If you're up for the challenge, you can even cultivate special hybrid flowers through breeding, adding a touch of brilliance to your island paradise.

However, while they might initially appear as just a charming means to beautify your island, there's actually a significant amount of complexity, especially for those who aren't familiar with the process, this is where our ultimate guide to breeding flowers in Animal Crossing comes in handy.

Understanding the Basics: creating hybrid flowers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Creating hybrid flowers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a straightforward process. You simply need to position two flowers adjacent to each other or in a diagonal arrangement, then water them. Make sure to provide some space around them, and the new hybrid version will eventually bloom.

There are a few basic methods you can take:

1. Growing from Seeds: This method is the easiest and quickest. Vendors like Nook's Cranny and Leif's Garden Shop offer a rotating selection of seeds for purchase. Plant these seeds and allow them to grow to attain your desired colours. This is especially reliable as these seeds come with predetermined pollination patterns.

2. Crossbreeding Wild Flowers: As you explore your island, you'll come across wildflowers growing naturally. Position them next to each other to generate new flower types. Keep in mind that this approach involves an element of randomness, so some trial and error might be necessary.

Types of flowers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

When you first arrive at a deserted island, there will be eight types of flowers. These species are lilies, cosmos, tulips, mums, pansies, roses, windflowers and hyacinths. They are available in three colours - red, yellow and white. It may not seem very interesting at first, but it's important to remember.

Luckily, hybrid flowers open up the possibility to obtain colours such as orange, black and green. This may seem difficult because of the 25 possible variations, but it is quite achievable.

Note: Once you have your shovel and watering can tools, you can start growing your own hybrid flowers.

These essential tools can be obtained through quests from Tom Nook, crafted yourself, or purchased from Nook's Cranny.

Efficient Flower Placement Techniques

Optimal flower placement is important to maximize flower growth and save time. There are many different ways to arrange flowers, each with different results.

Alongside

Many players start by arranging flowers next to each other. It's a simple method, but the risk of accidentally knocking over the flowers is slightly higher. If you walk on the flowers, the petals will come off, but they will return to their original state after a day or so.

The X Shape

Arrange the flowers in an X shape so that the flower appears on the outer edge. If you want two different colours in a hybrid, put one colour on the outer edges and one in the middle. For hybrids that require only one colour, completely fill the X shape with all available colours.

The Diamond Grid

The diamond grid arrangement is particularly effective when breeding hybrids that only need a single colour. By setting up flowers in a continuous diamond-shaped loop, you provide room for growth while also clustering them tightly enough to create multiple spots for them to sprout. Expect flowers to flourish within the gaps of each diamond shape or at their endpoints.

The Zipper Approach

The zipper path strategy is especially beneficial when cultivating hybrids that require a combination of two colours. Expect hybrids to emerge within the gaps of the zipper shape or at its extremities. This approach proves handy when aiming to create a substantial number of hybrids sharing the same colour.

The shop rotation for all flowers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Check out what seasonal flowers you can buy at Nook Shopping this month! You will find below a complete list of the rotating flowers and their corresponding months.

For the Northern Hemisphere

• Windflowers: from January to May, as well as in December.
• Lilies flourish from June to September.
• Roses: from May to July and then from October to December.
• Tulips: from March to June.
• Pansies: from January to April, and again from November to December.
• Cosmos: from July to November.
• Hyacinths: from February to April.
• Mums flourish in January, as well as from August to December.

And for the Southern Hemisphere

• Roses appear in January, then from April to June, and once more in November to December.
• Tulips: from September to December.
• Windflowers: from June to November.
• Lilies: from January to March and again in December.
• Pansies: from May to October.
• Mums: from February to July.
• Cosmos: from January to May.
• Hyacinths: from August to October.

List of Hybrid Flowers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

No matter which method players choose, it's important for them to be familiar with the colour combinations. Here's a breakdown of each flower hybrid in Animal Crossing: New Horizons:

Roses

Rose Colour	Flower One	Flower Two
Pink	Red	White
Pink	Red	Red
Orange	Red	Yellow
Purple	White	White
hybrid Red	Purple	Orange
Blue	hybrid Red	hybrid Red
Blue	Black	Black
Black	Orange	Orange
Black	Red	Red
Golden	Black	Black (water with Golden Watering Can for Golden hybrids)

Tulips

Tulip Colour	Flower One	Flower Two
Pink	Red	White
Orange	Red	Yellow
Purple	Orange	Orange
Purple	Black	Black
Purple	Yellow	Black
Black	Orange	Orange
Black	Red	Red

Pansies

Pansy Colour	Flower One	Flower Two
Orange	Red	Yellow
Blue	White	White
hybrid Red	Red	Blue
Purple	hybrid Red	hybrid Red
Purple	Blue	Blue

Lilies

Lily Colour	Flower One	Flower Two
Pink	Red	White
Orange	Red	Yellow
Black	Orange	Orange
Black	Red	Red

Hyacinths

Hyacinth Colour	Flower One	Flower Two
Pink	Red	White
Orange	Red	Yellow
Blue	White	White
Blue	Orange	Orange
Purple	Orange	Orange
Purple	Blue	Blue

Mums

Mum Colour	Flower One	Flower Two
Pink	Red	White
Yellow	Yellow	Red
Purple	White	White
Purple	Yellow	Yellow
Purple	Red	Yellow
Green	Yellow	Yellow
Green	Purple	Purple

Windflowers

Windflower Colour	Flower One	Flower Two
Blue	White	White
Pink	Red	Orange
hybrid Red (100%)	Blue	Red
Purple	hybrid Red	hybrid Red
Purple	Pink	Pink
Purple	Blue	Blue
Purple	Blue	Pink

Cosmos

Cosmos Colour	Flower One	Flower Two
Orange	Red	Yellow
Pink	Red	White
Black	Orange	Orange
Black	Pink	Orange

Combining Different Colours for Hybrid Cloning

Once you've collected a good number of hybrids with the same colour, trying to use flowers of different colours to create more hybrids can become quite tiring. Instead, you can successfully create hybrids of the same colour through cross-pollination. For instance, if you have a pair of orange hyacinths, they can yield purple hybrids. However, when using second or third-generation hybrids, you'll mostly get orange flowers with only a very slim possibility of obtaining purple ones.

That’s it with our Animal Crossing: New Horizons flower breeding guide, if you're interested in playing different types of games or enjoying multiplayer experiences with your handheld console and friends online, take a look at the best games for Switch Online.