In zone 7, unless you already know they are hardy for you it's safest to overwinter them indoors and I wouldn't risk an unreplaceable plant. I'm zone 7a/b and have never had any Alocasia, Colocasia, or Xanthosoma survive in the ground over even a mild winter.

I've had them survive in places that stay dry in the winter; trouble is, very little of my garden has good drainage. I split the difference and pot up divisions every fall to winter over indoors. That way, if they don't survive (and frequently they don't), I have replacements available. The younger plants often outstrip the older ones in growth by this time of year, anyway.

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it.
Sandie

I would not leave them in the ground. Trouble with these tropicals is also excessive soil moisture over winter and our Eastern winters can be very wet, combined with cool/cold soil temps they are prone to rotting.

Hmmmmm, your comments are interesting - I am in zone 5b/6 and leave mine in the ground. I haven't lost them yet!

There is one called Pink china in my greenhouse that is supposed to be ground hardy in zone 6. I'll let you know next winter. I didn't sell any of them this year because they were so small.
I overwinter the musa basjoo too. They are easy if you mulch them with bags of leaves after cutting off the stems after a hard freeze. The bags of leaves aren't so pretty, but they provide insulation, and also protection from excess moisture, and later on, in the spring, mulch! Maybe that would work with your elephant ears too?

I'm in NC zone 7b and they come back every year for me. No special treatment, just sandy soil with compost added. No mulching either!

In spring add some shredded vegetation. Maybe in April or May.

I live in Wilmington, NC and have done nothing but plant the bulbs. They are gorgeous and return every year.

Kayjones, is the place you leave them in the ground a raised bed close to the house, like right up against the house? I have Calla lillies a zone 8 plant if you don't dig up in fall here in zone 6 Pa they are supposed to die, and mine have gotten bigger and have bloomed well this year, they've been there untouched for 3 winters now. I would try Cannas, but they need more sun than the area has. I also have the bed mulched thickly in winter. In NC I would say that Elephant ears are hardy. If you have Live oaks growing where you are, you DEFINITELY can grow Elaph ears!

Help! I live in Kentucky zone 6 B, can I leave my elephant ear bulbs in the ground over winter? This is my first year growing them.

I would guess no, but, if you didn't pay alot and want to see what happens, just leave 1 or 2. It also depends on if we have a colder winter and alot of snow cover or not. mulch them good and see?

Colocasia "Pink China" is said to be hardy to zone 6. My clump overwintered in z. 6a and resprouted this spring (it is now enormous) - true, we had a relatively mild winter. I'm hopeful it will return again in 2017. Best to mulch well after the first couple of light frosts.

Great, I hope we have a mildish winter as far as temps go, I'm trying a Quartz mountain Live oak here in SW Pa. It did fine last winter, which was mild-ish.

Many of these plants like the Cannas, Musa basjoo, and Elephant ears just may overwinter fine in as cold as zone 5b, with lotsa mulch and other protection. You know, burlap, plastic film, whatever you can think of that is usually used.

It's been a while since anyone has updated this. I suppose some people may be trying some of the plants mentioned above this year. I got a "Black magic" Elaphant ear at Wal=-mart. It says zone 7. I have a raised bed. I'll be using many things to make it good rich soil, fall leaves, wood fines, a bit of peat moss, fine coconut coir based potting mix, a bit of regular soil, and bagged garden soil meant for gardening in the ground. I will use some bunny poo mixed with water and water it all in. BTW, I'll mix the stuff together good before putting it in the raised bed frame. It's a 10 inch high frame. And mulch it after planting. I want to get a Musa Basjoo Banana plant also. I had 1 survive over a winter, as I said above, but the next winter it never came back up. My Quartz mountain Live oak I mentioned above is fine, it is looking like it may break bud, which I hope it holds back on. We haven't gone below zero this winter though, we have gone down to 5F though. I have used Christmas lights when it got cold. The non-LED lights, the ones that give off some heat. It's still early here as far as planting things, I just am all excited about spring because we've been getting warm weather for the most part. I had to mow the yard, I did some yesterday, some today, and will do more tomorrow, the grass was over a foot tall in many areas from all the rain and warm weather of the last few weeks. a couple trees are leafing out. Just watch there be a cold blast come thru here. I am stopping myself from buying a bunch of perennials. I just bought 1 because it is likely going to be hard to find. I can take it inside if we get a freezing night/day. Okay, later.

Kayjones, it seems you are in zone 6b in 1 place, and 5b-6 in another. Which one do you think best describes where the EE are planted? I'm 6a, and will be planting Pink china, but also have "black Magic". Do you have a raised bed? I'll be using a raised bed, and mulch. I would love if "Black Magic" would survive winter. I know that making sure the area isn't too wet in winter is a must also. It just may be more important than winter temps, well, just as important.

Hi Poaky1, Sounds like you and I will be doing the same thing this spring! I am in the process of making a raised bed where I am going to plant Musa Basjoo and Pink China EE's, along with cannas and other things. I am hoping the raised bed will be the key to keeping them alive. Several years ago, I had a Musa Basjoo planted in the ground and I was able to keep it alive for 2 winters, but it died during the 3rd winter. I think it rotted even though it was protected with bags of straw and a tarp over the top to keep the snow off. It was quite big and had more shoots coming up before it died. I live in northern Utah, zone 6. We usually have snow cover for most of the winter so I hope the raised bed will help with drainage .

Good luck!

Linda

Yes, I need to get started on mine soon, it's so hot and the pots will dry out (little nursery pots they're in. Later.

Update on my hardy musa basjoo. It seems the key to keeping the from year to year in the ground here in zone 5 is to plant them a foot deep and don't plant them in a place where water stands if it rains a lot. Then you don't mulch them at all or do anything to them. They just die down and come back. My oldest ones are now 7 years old in Muncie Indiana and lots of customers are having good results too. The pink China did well for about four years but then we had a really cold winter and that was the end of it. Pic is my basjoo bananas in fall 2016

Nice sandy, is Muncie in southern Indiana? Are you sure you're not zone 6? I always hear about mulching even in zone 6 Pa here, or they will not come back. I guess you know your zone. I think I'll add some sand to my raised bed soil, just a bit. I'll be trying Cannas in the same bed, I just bought a bag with 3 roots in it, and the foliage is starting to come up. You know those bags of dried up plant roots/corms you can get at Wal-mart or anywhere in early spring, well, I just grabbed up a bag today, and as said the plants are starting to grow in the dark bag of dried (likely) peat, so I know their good. I will be putting soil in my raised bed tomorrow if the weather permits, you know, no rain. The temps here are warm as hell, 86 today, what happened to spring, it feels like summer. I have the bed, but need to put it together, then put the soil in it. I will put more sandy soil in 1 half of it, (it's got a divider in the middle) for my Cannas and a Eucomis or Pineapple lilly. They like drier soil. I have 3 Yuccas in a biggish pot. They are Yucca Gloriosa Varagieta, yucca Rostrata and yucca Recurvifolia. I'll just put the pot on the soil in the bed, they will need more sun than the site will have in the future. With the plants Musa included wanting dry soil, I should make a cover for the bed for winter. And put it on only after everything has dried out a bit in fall, just to keep rain out of the bed. Not to enclose it all on the sides too, that would encourage rot, just to keep rain out. Later.

I have 'black magic' and am told I'm in zone 7a/b - mine haven't come back the last 2 years. I take pups indoors so I will have some to replant in spring. I am, however having trouble finding bloom information. I have one plant that's about to have blooms #6 and 7 and the other is on 4 and 5 respectively. I was unaware they did this. Can those also be used to propagate? I got one for my mother many years ago and she got one bloom but we all thought it was a freak thing, and I'm not even sure what plant it was I bought her then. They smell awesome! I would like to be able to adjust my soil however for these to be able to stay outdoors as I'm getting tired of digging them up every year. The runners have them going all over the flowerbed so I often dig those up and share with friends. I have several tropicals and simply do not have room in the house for all of them. My home does not have enough natural light to support their needs.

Interesting to see this old discussion come up again. I've since had good luck with 2 hardy elephant ears. 'Pink China' has been hardy in my Washington, DC (zone 7) garden for almost 10 years and even survived the "polar vortex" winters with minimal protection. Similarly, Colocasia gigantea has also been completely hardy for about as long. This isn't the "Thailand Giant" strain but a somewhat smaller selection of the species that's much hardier. Here's a photo from a few years ago showing C. gigantea on the left and 'Pink China' on the right: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dctropics/7616485840

Hi guys, I still have my Calla Lilies multiplying and I have another kind doing great and surviving here, I need to divide them actually. My Canna's croaked, my Hardy Bananas lived for 1 winter but rotted over the next winter. My Pink China Elephant ears, I had 1 planting come back (they came up this year)2 years in row, and 1 didn't come back. I water the one that came back, the other one is in a place that doesn't usually get supplemental water, just rain, I water just once in a while. Both are mostly all shade all day though. I have a greenhouse now, so, I may be trying some new plants BUT, they will be in pots. I am not sure how good I can heat it etc, so, I am not sure what if any new plants I can grow. I am still puzzled about the Calla Lilies, how I can grow them (raised beds) and they multiply each year, BUT, Canna lilies will die if I leave them in the ground, I am guessing the Calla's don't care if the soil stays wettish in winter?

There is a recently developed cultivar that is reliably hardy to zone 5 with some mulch. It’s called Colocasia ‘polar green’

My Pink china EE came up ;last year, but, they were kinda late coming up. Maybe I'll try the "polar green" one too. I got my oak limbed up, so, I hope it can take lottsa sun. It won't be full sun, but a lot more sun than before the oak got trimmed.