I’ve grown both amaryllis ‘Benfica’ and ‘Red Pearl’ in previous years, but this is the first time I’ve grown them at the same time and could compare.
For some reason cameras (DSLR, smartphone) have a difficult time focusing on the flowers much less capturing the deep, rich, blackish-red flowers.
The blooms on ‘Red Pearl’ are huge—8 inches across.
My bulb sent up one stalk that reached 20 inches tall with 3 flowers. A second stalk is already 18 inches tall and should bloom soon.
‘Benfica’ has smaller flowers—about 6 inches across. They also don’t open quite as fully. One stalk grew 18 inches tall and bloomed with 4 flowers, but the flowers didn’t last very long and they faded a bit as well. But there’s a second stalk that’s already 26 inches tall and just starting to open.
This is what they look like side by side:
Both cultivars are gorgeous when in bloom, but I have to give the edge to ‘Red Pearl’ for the bigger flowers that last longer and don’t fade.