These (nor other EE varieties) are hardy in your area. If the plant forms a large tuber (such as the commonly-found taro), you can dig and store the tuber over winter. Non-tuber forming varieties can be brought indoors for the winter, but can't really be dried and stored (there's nothing to store).

I'm not sure about the specific varieties you mentioned, as I've never grown those particular ones.

Early in spring, the nurseries/garden centers usually have dormant EE bulbs - normally the plain 'ol green, but I've also seen the upright type. I get my big green monsters there, pot them up and set them in a warm, light spot indoors to get them going. Once outside for the season when it warms off, they grow fantastic, and those plain 'ol no-name green targo get HUGE leaves - they're fantastic!!!

I've tried to overwinter the tubers but don't have much success because of my crawl space conditions, but they're not expensive if I buy them dormant in the spring, so no big deal.

So, check those out next year, too - much less expensive than the fancy-schmancy ones (which I have, too, of course LOL!) and really do make a big impact.

Here's a photo of "Illustris", if you see this one for sale, it's a beauty.

{{gwi:247391}}

Very nice elephant ear, mxk! :) You're right, Illustris is a good one, but here in the Deep South, EVERYBODY needs to know that is extremely, extremely invasive! One planted one year yields a thousand the next (and the next...)
I keep them in pots only. Never water them, ever. And they still grow like weeds, which they are here. Oh, and it makes tubers AND runners. Isn't nature funny?

Cindylou, the Black Magic is a gorgeous one, and is supposed to be clump forming. I have only grown it in pots, but it is easy to overwinter inside if you have the space. I have grown Shiny Upright outside and it is lovely and was well behaved for me, although I put it in fairly dry shade right on top of tree roots, so that may have kept it in check. It has faithfully returned here these five years just in the place where I put it. I am not familiar with the other variety you listed.

I grow a bunch of EE type plants here in MN, so I can't speak of the zone hardiness thing. Of the ones you mentioned: Shiny Upright - I've never heard that name used, but it probably is Alocasia macrorrhiza or Upright EE. This one forms a huge tuber with time and can be stored totally dormant and dry for the winter. The plant forms offsets around the plant, but it doesn't produce runners. Ruffles or Colocasia esculenta 'Ruffles' will also form a smaller tuber which can be stored dry and cool for the winter - it almost looks like a clump of dahlia tubers. This one doesn't produce runners either, but again the plant forms offsets around the mother plant. I can't imagine either one would become invasive.

Kevin

Kevin