Bill I don't know where you read about it being difficult to breed for a white hippie but maybe the difficulty came from trying to get a large tetraploid shape flower. Most white species hippeasrum appear to be slender trumpets. I'm just speculating. Ashley/AJ

Did the seedling come up with the red leaf at it's first emergence? Is the bug a fungus gnat?

You can plant them out in the garden after the danger of frost is over... I believe they require some shading from the harsh afternoon sun, so a spot with filtered light would be perfect. Be sure to dig them up, re-pot and bring them in before frost hits your area! There are several ways to grow hippeastrums with regards to dormancy periods... personally, I keep all my bulbs indoors and treat them as houseplants, watering and fertilizing when required, and allowing them to drop leaves naturally and "rest". If allowed to grow and do as they please, I find that mine bloom in February. If you prefer blooms at Christmas, then you must put them through a "forced" dormant period, and then bring them back into the light and warmth to bloom... I'm not entirely familiar with these methods, so I'll let the experts field that end of it... If you search past posts from this forum, you'll find a wealth of information on how to grow hippeastrums and how to make them flower when you want them to... Welcome to the wonderful world of hippeastrums! After you successfully bring your bulbs back into bloom, you'll be hooked! I know I am! Good Luck!

Thank you all for the warm welcome! Louana, there is a big chance I will run out of space, I guess :). I'm already looking for bulbs I will be buying next October. For sure there will be a Papillio. I did already start with an experiment. I used some pollen of Cherry Nymph on two flowers of my Monte Carlo. Just to see if I was able to do it. And... it worked. I got like + 20 seeds which are floating on water for 2 weeks now. Most of them are forming roots. The cross won't be that special, I guess, since they are both red, but it's worth trying it :) Thomas