No harder to grow than any others in my hands, but if you like the dark dark red...see if you can get a Benefica!
I use the black plastic. Some swear by terra cotta. Use whatever you like....a nice ceramic with excellent drainage should be just fine!
K

Here is a link that might be useful: link to old Benefica post on GW

kaboehm - Thanks for the link and information. I thought I read somewhere that Benenfica and Black Pearl could be the same or is it people just confuse the two?
Clare

As long the pot you choose has the ability to drain well and is large enough to provide room for the roots to grow, it really doesn't matter... my preference is unglazed clay, but plastic is fine, too... as long as those drainage holes are present.

What's more important than type of pot is the medium you choose. The soil chosen is the foundation of any containerized planting, so you want to choose a soil that will provide for decent drainage, good aeration, and one that will hold its structure well, providing that drainage and aeration. The article at the link below will give you some very basic, vetted information about soils and what happens under the surface in any container planting, and it will help dispel some of the misinformation floating about the growing world in general.

I believe Black Pearl to be slightly different from Benfica, and everyone has a favorite between the two... but I do believe that more folks seem to like Benfica, if you can locate one. Both are a lovely dark, dark red... and I don't think either is tricky to grow.

Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils - Water Movement & Retention XIV

I have both and found Benefica much darker.
K

jodik - Thanks for the link. I was going to ask about potting soil. I have used African Violet soil in the past and the bulb did OK. I never kept them long inside since they can grow outside here.

kaboehm - Thanks for clearing that up. Got any pictures of the blooms side by side?

Clare

No photos of them side by side....sorry.
K

Hi Clare,

Actually, I think that Red Pearl and Black Pearl are the two reds that might be very similar..I think I remember reading that somewhere..

Here are my Red Pearl and Benfica.. hard to tell the difference, but who knows maybe my Benfica isn't a Benfica at all..you never know..especially since mine was a mislabel.

My Benfica:

{{gwi:437038}}

and outside:
{{gwi:437040}}

and Red Pearl,unfortunately all my Red Pearl have the sun in her face..

{{gwi:437042}}

Regardless of which of the dark reds you do choose, I'm sure you'll love it, they are all lovely..I did see a Black Pearl for sale this year and passed it by, now I wish I hadn't...

Donna

They're all beauties! I don't think you can go wrong regardless which variety you choose, Clare!

Great pictures, Donna! They're both gorgeous! It not a wonder that so many people are struck by the sheer size and beauty of Hippeastrum blooms!

Clare, if you can grow your bulbs directly in your garden, that's probably the method I'd choose... mainly because they'll have plenty of room to spread out good root systems, and Mother Nature is a great help. The one thing I would do, though, is use a systemic insecticide to prevent any possible NBF issues... NBF is Narcissus Bulb Fly, and the little suckers love amaryllids. They can potentially devastate an entire collection before you realize they've moved in. Bayer makes a good granule systemic that you sprinkle around the base of plants and water in.

If you do decide to pot them up, it would be a good idea to research soils and container growing a bit... growing in the confined space of a pot is a lot different than growing in the ground, and you'll want to employ different tactics for optimum success.

I'd be happy to point you in the right direction and hook you up with some good reading... the article I linked to in my other post above is an excellent starting point. I float back and forth between here, and the Container Gardening Forum... both are relevant to how I grow my bulbs and other tender plants.

Another dark red you might like is Grand Cru or Carmen. I loved both of those!
Kristi

Donna - Both are beautiful whatever name you call them. Thanks for posting the pictures.

jodik - I have been planting them in the ground for over 20 years when I would get them as Christmas presents. They were doing fantastic until last year when either gophers, ground squirrels, or moles/voles got most of them. So now I am thinking of keeping them in pots from now on. I just transferred 5 of the remaining into pots and put them in the greenhouse.

Kristi - Thanks for the names. I will check them out.

kaboehm - No problem.

Thanks everyone.
Clare

I'm sorry to hear of your critter damage, Clare... moles will disturb the roots of plants by tunneling through the area, but they eat worms and grubs... other ground critters could be responsible, however. We had a terrible mole problem last season, and my husband employed a great trap and was able to eradicate the little diggers... which actually weren't as little as I thought! They were huge!

It seems as though if it isn't one pest, it's another going after the plant types we like the most. At the moment, it's deer and rabbits nibbling at our roses.

I wish you the best success at growing in pots, and if we can be of further help, we're always glad to try! :-)

jodik - Thanks. We have been battling all kinds of critters up here in the Santa Cruz mts for 25 years. Just chased a deer off our property last weekend and we have tall deer fence. How it got over it, don't know. Good luck to you too.
Clare

Deer are amazingly athletic... able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Or so it sure seems! ;-)

We have fencing, too... for all the good it does. Deer, rabbits, squirrels and other small rodents... all love to pick through the plant buffet we've apparently created just for them!

Two years ago, I planted two beautiful little Magnolia saplings... and something came along and bit one off at ground level! We find our roses constantly nibbled on, our spring blooming bulbs dug up and eaten, and our yard filled with raised mole tunneling.

My husband is a hunter from way back, so he's been charged with the job of eradicating any harmful critters he sees from the gardens. We do try to encourage the good creatures... like a pair of giant owls that live in the woods across the road, and the hawks, and snakes, toads, birds, and praying mantises. But they can only do so much.

My biggest fear is that our goats will break through their fenced area and totally eat the whole garden!