I went ahead and did the first four steps:
Step 1: A Echinacea dupe + 3* and 4* Knights.
Step 2: A Cherry Sage dupe + 3* and 4* Knights.
Step 3: Night Phlox and Tree Peony dupes + Bianca Tulip (already 5/4).
Step 4: Three new 5* Knights (Waterlily, Creeping Saxifrage, Wax Tree).
The premium gacha tickets didn't give me any new Knights, the 5* ticket gave me a Japanese Iris dupe, and the 5*+ ticket gave me a normal Epidendrum dupe. At least all of the 5* dupes were Knights that had equipment slots left to unlock.