How to Grow Lily of the Valley on Your Animal Crossing Island

If you’re aiming for a truly stunning island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, few flowers are as special — or as coveted — as the Lily of the Valley. These elegant white blooms not only look gorgeous, but they’re also a symbol of your island’s top-tier status. Growing them isn’t quite like planting other flowers though — it takes some planning and patience. Here’s everything you need to know to get Lily of the Valley to bloom on your island.

What is Lily of the Valley?

Lily of the Valley is a rare, non-breedable flower in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You can’t buy it, plant it directly, or even crossbreed it like other flowers. Instead, it appears naturally once you meet very specific conditions tied to your island’s overall rating.

Step 1: Achieve a 5-Star Island Rating

The only way to get Lily of the Valley is to earn and maintain a 5-star island rating. Isabelle at Resident Services will give you regular updates about your island’s score. Here’s what generally affects your rating:

• Decorate your island with a variety of furniture (both DIY and bought).

• Plant and maintain lots of flowers and trees, but don’t overdo it — too much clutter or too many items can hurt your score.

• Fence in areas to create more developed spaces.

• Create paths with the Island Designer app to show organization.

• Keep things tidy — pick up weeds, trash, and random dropped items.

Each player’s island is unique, but a good rule of thumb is: think like a city planner and a gardener at the same time.

Step 2: Maintain Your 5-Star Rating

Once you hit 5 stars, you’ll need to keep your island in top shape. If your score drops back down to 4 stars, Lily of the Valley won’t spawn anymore, and new ones won’t appear.

Check in with Isabelle every few days and tweak anything she mentions. Sometimes it’s just a matter of moving furniture around, adding a few more decorations, or picking up weeds.

Step 3: Wait for the Magic

After you have a consistent 5-star island, Lily of the Valley flowers will start to appear naturally on your cliffs. You can’t control exactly when or where the first one will pop up, but they tend to grow:

• On higher elevations (second or third tier cliffs).

• In open spaces (so make sure your cliffs aren’t totally packed).

Typically, you’ll get about one new Lily of the Valley per week as long as you maintain your rating.

Extra Tips

• You can’t pick them like normal flowers! You can only dig them up with a shovel and move them if you want to relocate them.

• They don’t breed — no matter how many you have, they won’t multiply on their own.

• Use them for bragging rights — having Lily of the Valley on your island is a huge flex to friends who visit!

Growing Lily of the Valley might take some work upfront, but once they start appearing, they’re a beautiful reminder that your island is truly something special. 🌸

Have you gotten Lily of the Valley on your island yet? Where did yours first appear?