Illustris grows extremely fast once the warm weather hits. A 3" plant can exceed 4ft. by summers end provide it has plenty of sun, water, and fertilizer.

Thanks so much for replying so quickly -- and the info really helps!!

Hi Ruth,
I got Illustris ie imperial taro as a trade one year.
It did put out a lot of leaves ( like a bush) that were recipe card sized.
The whole plant - in full sun in zone 5- hwever did not get bigger than a stew pot. By fall I gave it away. I like em big
If you want BIG get Odora which is occas. sold at Walmart- 4 ft is no problem and the leaves are huge too
Karen

To get them big takes heat, humidity, food, water--and food. This is a big plant in pretty short order if you give it all that. If your nights are cool, like they were where I grew up, they'll never get as big as they do here. They are one of the ones that can 'grow in a pot without drainage', according to something I read recently (which reminds me, I noticed mine was drooping a bit and meant to get the hose out to it. Darn!)

Here is a picture of an Illustris that was planted as a 3" start in early May. I believe this photo was taken in July.

Again, plenty of water, sun, and fertilizer!

Thanks for the additional responses. I was in Lowes and they had decent-sized plants for about $13, so I gave in and bought one. I put my tiny one in a pot. I'm afraid neither will get the sun it needs to really prosper, but I'm willing to try it and see what happens, as the leaf coloration is just perfect for a certain place in the garden.

Guess I should get out there and take a "before" picture so I can compare at summer's end!