Flower Breeding Mechanics
What is breeding?
If you water two flowers of the same type that are directly next to each other, those flowers can breed with each other to make a new flower. This new flower carries genes from both of its parent flowers.
How do I breed flowers?
Flowers have a 5% chance to produce an offspring the next day if they are watered. Flowers grow 1 stage per day. Only flowers at the bud and bloom stages are able to reproduce. A flower cannot reproduce unless it has been watered the previous day. For more details, see: https://yuexr.github.io/img/gardening101.png
What is cloning?
If you water a single flower that isn’t directly next to another flower of the same type, that flower can duplicate, or “clone” itself. The clone is identical to the original flower.
For more information on breeding vs. cloning, see: https://cestislife.github.io/img/reproduce.png
Why is flower breeding so complicated?
Flowers in ACNH have genes. These genes determine what color a flower will be. In order to get a specific color of flower, you need to breed a flower that has the right genes. Most flower colors have multiple genotypes (combinations of genes). For example, there are 13 different red roses in the game, all with different genes. For more on flower genes, see: https://i.imgur.com/qjBD58C.png
When two flowers of the same type reproduce, the offspring they produce will have a combination of the parent’s genes, and may be a different color. There is no way to visually tell what the genes of a flower are in game. It is recommended to always start breeding flowers from seed bags, since seed flowers always have the same genes, and are reliable for starting breeding methods.
Flower breeding is NOT color based, it is based on genes. Any of the color + color breeding guides out there are wrong and should be avoided.
What is the fastest route to all hybrids?
Below shows the fastest route to each hybrid. 
Are flowers from my island/mystery islands good for breeding?
Flowers from mystery islands have the same genes as seed bag flowers and are safe to use. Flowers from your own island start out with the same genes as seed flowers, but due to rain over time, they may have bred with each other into flowers of the same color, but not the same genes, so you should be cautious about using them for breeding.
What is color-safe?
Color-safe is used to define the offspring of the desired parents having only one genotype, and hence confusion when breeding, even with non clone-resistant routes can be avoided.
What layout should I use to breed flowers?
Here is a helpful guide to help you choose which layouts will work best for your breeding needs: https://yuexr.github.io/acnh/garden_layouts.html
But to summarise:
- Always use independant pairs when breeding a pair of flowers.
- Avoid layouts that can produce clones when breeding with non-color safe routes.
I got a gold rose but I never used a golden watering can, how?
The golden watering can “flags” a black rose that is watered with it. A black rose with the golden watered flag will have a 50% chance to produce a gold rose if it reproduces. This flag is permanent until that flower produces a gold rose, even if the flower was dug up or traded, and does not expire after any amount of time. Rain cannot enable the golden watered flag, but it can enable reproduction on a flower that already has the flag. For more information on gold roses, see: https://yuexr.github.io/img/goldrose.png
