Seriously doubt it is even close to that hardy... my guess would be more like zone 9a... maybe 8b at the very hardiest.

Only grow G. Paraguayense in the ground. And it only survives if kept completely dry during winter.

I have been experimenting with various echeveria sp. and have absolutely found that E. runyonii 'topsy turvy' is by far the most hardy. I am in San Jose, and temps do get a little below freezing at times. We do experience a few frosts throughout the winter as well.

I have these planted all over my yard as there are definitely a few microclimates. Last year 'topsy turvy' handled some pretty hard frosts. It was so bad that there were actually sheets of ice on them! Our pool also had thin sheets of ice forming on it as well that is how cold it got! Other echeveria sp. in the same vicinity melted.

I have now been stalking home depot and stocking up on topsy turvy as it is dirt cheap there and planting it in drifts in the ground.

Take a chance with them...I bet they would survive even in your zone :)

I have grown all three of them in Z8a Central Texas.My E, runyonii "topsy Turvey" has survived 16F in a small 8" pot. I have some of the original runyonii in the ground but it gets covered with frost cloth because it is intermixed with E agavoides and E pulidonis. I have mixed a lot of pumice into the soil and it is in a raised bed with rocks. My regular G. paraguayenes has been with my for a long time in the ground un covered. I do not water them in winter.

This post was edited by wantonamara on Wed, Jan 28, 15 at 8:29