If the hostas are registered, the breeder will have listed their height and width in the hosta registry at www.hostaregistrar.org.

It's a good place to start, anyway. However, you're going to find that hostas seem to be larger or smaller than their registered size depending on whose garden they're growing in, growing conditions, etc.

I usually take the info off of the hosta registry and also google the hosta name to see what size vendors in different parts of the country have theirs listed at. I then take an average and figure that's close enough.

Thank you flower-frenzy. I will do the same. :)

Michelle, Hostapedia is another resource if your local library has it. Though the author sometimes gets enamored in listing the biggest he ever found rather than typical size. Just like EPA lists for fuel efficiency...Your Mileage May Vary.....a lot of factors will determine how big a hosta grows in your garden vs someone else's garden.

Paul

hey

you are dreaming there is an easy way for this... one pot.. in it for life .... good luck with that...

hosta like to be slightly pot bound ...

up-potting is imperative..

and if for no other reason... because potting media wears out ... it should be replaced every few years ...

finally... though there is a genetic limit to leaf size.. and height.. frankly.. there is no limit.. to how wide a WELL GROWN hosta can get ...

ergo.. ipso.. presto ... it really doenst matter what info you find about how wide a hosta gets.. there is no limit ...

ken

Thanks Paul, not sure our small town library will have that but I did get a general idea on hostaregistrar.org.

LOL Ken, not looking for an easy way to gardening although that would be nice (but very boring). Just wanted a general idea of what size my hosta should be - small, medium, large. I've already seen from the website that some of the measurements are off compared to mine or what I've seen in other gardens. Just didn't want to put one that's supposed to be big into a pot that I'd have to redo next year. Yes, I plan on repotting in a few years....but don't want to do it every year.

Like Ken is saying, don't put a hosta in a pot based on its expected size, but instead put it in a pot based on its current size. You want them to be more root bound going into the winter, at least having some roots down the sides and into the bottom, or you could be faced with dead, rotted hostas come spring if the pots are too big.

Michelle, Also consider whether or not you would like the hosta to overlap, or do you prefer to see each as a separate specimen. I like overlapping which requires fertilizer and careful watering. Others like them separate, to see the beauty of each mound which requires mulch or weeding or both.

Beverly

I really only have about 5-7 pots that I want to use in this bed. The ones in temporary pots are doing really well, but the pots are small. If I just step up a size in pots, will they be ok? Or should I wait until spring to re-pot? We haven't had much winter recently, but that could change this year. Never know. And should I wait until spring to plant in the ground? They should have good roots on them, but I haven't taken any out yet to check.
Beverly, I think in this bed I would like a little over-lapping. I'm thinking of planting in clusters of 3-5 hosta with space in between each grouping for walking.
Also, dh has a Japanese Maple close by this bed. Should I be concerned about the roots from it? Or is that just for full sized maples?

I grow only in pots. When you "up-pot" them is when they fill up the pot they are in. Evidence (to me) that they need up-potting: (1) they start to get smaller (or are the same size as last year), (2) you have to water more than once a day and (3) they just look to big for the pot.

Conversely, the pot is too big if it stays wet too long. I water once a day in the summer, if it's still wet the next day, I down pot it.

Something I learned this spring, is to water ONLY what's growing. With our prolonged spring, I rotted some struggling ones by watering too often. They came up, but it got cold again and they stalled. I should have quit watering them.

I think I move mine to bigger pots every 2 to 4 years depending on the plant. Unfortunately, some of mine will have to be split next time, as a 5 gal pot is about my limit on moving them around.

bk

When I got serious about this hobby, I noticed that the Hosta Library often did not show mature size dimensions, or it was incomplete. I found the information at Mickfield Hosta (see link) worthwhile to fill in my worksheet. They do show information of hostas they have grown in their gardens, though not the very latest introductions. Bernd

Here is a link that might be useful: Mickfield Hostas information