You will never know "exact sizes"...as the same hosta in different spots will be different sizes. I have pieces of one hosta in 3 different spots and the size is very different.
Plant it and if you don't like it after 3 years...move it. That's why they make shovels.
Linda C

I did find this. It's kind of a rough guideline anyway.

Size Category Height Width
Miniature Under 10" 6 to 12"
Small 10 to 15" 12 to 15"
Medium 15 to 18" 15 to 24"
Large 18 to 24" 24 to 30"
Extra Large 24" and over 30 to 36"

Here is a link that might be useful: The link the chart was at

Thank you jel48!
I also find old post with sizes of dwarf and miniature Hostas. I was hoping to find something like this for other Hostas.
Linda, I understand that in different spots they will have different sizes. I should probably say relative sizes instead of exact sizes. I mean, on the same bed, with the same soil and light conditions.

Alina,
Welcome to the world of the Hostaholic! Marvin Lemke's website is the best that I have found for info on hostas. It gives you all kinds of info on most hostas, including the size. It is also a VERY helpful tool in IDing our NOIDS because it usually lists the number of "vein-pairs" that a certain hosta has. That can be a deciding factor in the ID process. Go to the website and click on "PDF Files" then just choose from the list. Using both the database and http://www.hostalibrary.org will help with much of your hostaholic needs.

Right now you're probably saying that you are not hooked on hostas, that you can quit at any time. Actually, if you are here...on this forum...asking questions, then YOU ARE HOOKED. Sure you only have ten hostas now but you will double...then triple the number...and always make excuses for the new ones. Everyone here are enablers so you won't get any sympathy from us! LOL
Good luck with your project. Take pics at least once a year so you have a visual record of your gardens. Also, you can post some here for our enjoyment...everyone loves pictures!
One last thing, remember to make PERMANENT markers for your specimens AND also make a map that shows who is planted where. It's one thing to try to ID ten hostas but when you have several hundred in your collection...
Keep a list of your hostas with you at ALL times because you never know when you can't drive by that nursery that sells hostas...without stopping!!!! It's the normal progression of the illness!!

Happy Planting,

Ed

Here is a link that might be useful: Lemke Database Files

Here is a guide for proper spacing of hostas, which may be helpful as you lay out your garden. Don

Hostas come in a variety of sizes. Generally they are:

1. Dwarf, 3-6" Wide, Plant 6-15" Apart
2. Miniature, 6-12" Wide, Plant 15-18" Apart
3. Small, 1-2Â Wide, Plant 18"- 2Â Apart
4. Medium, 2Â Wide, Plant 2Â Apart
5. Large, 3-4Â Wide, Plant 3-4Â Apart
6. Giant, 4-6Â Wide, Plant 4-6Â Apart
(The American Hosta Guide, Van and Shirley Wade, Page 470)

Hosta Choice nursery includes sizes with their online listings, it's of course not as exhaustive as Lemke, but you may be able to find your selections in their list, and get a quick sense of what to expect eventually.

Digs

Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Choice - names & approximate sizes

Thank you so much! This is what I hoped for!
Ed, LOL, another plant addiction is just what I need right now. I already have 2-3 of them, so I know how it works :0)
We just bought a house, our first single family home. The lot is very shady. Lots of opportunites to plant Hostas! The space is limited though, so there is a hope I will stop at 20-25 varieties :-)

Hi Alina--welcome to the wonderful, wacky world of hostas--it's a great place. Part of the problem with the differences in listed sizes is that many varieties have been introduced without anyone ever having grown one to maturity. This is especially true of newer varieties.

Perhaps if you could give us the names of the varieties you already have, we could give you the mature sizes in our various gardens. Somebody on the forum is likely to have a mature plant of any of them that isn't a brand new variety. As a general rule, plan for any given variety to get larger than you expect.

As LindaC pointed out, size will vary, sometimes drastically, from location to location. Variables that have a considerable influence on mature size include amount of light, soil quality, relative position to trees and other competing plants, and how much water they get. There are also differences, sometimes major differences, in mature size depending on where you got an individual plant, and how it was treated prior to being sold. Plants that have been potted for more several years are often stunted, sometimes permanently.

Let us know what you have, and we'll see what size ranges we can come up with. Oh, and Inniswood is going to be rather large, but will take a number of years to get there.

And if you think you are going to limit yourself to only 20 or 25 varieties, well, it seems unlikely......

You'll find hostas are like furniture. You have to move them around every now and then. We all try to get the spacing and the color combinations and the look right, but it's an ongoing process. Relax about it and just know that digging and replanting is part of being owned by hostas.

Hi again,
I went ahead and planted them basing on the Lemke database. I will probably rearrange them this fall anyway. So far they look nice already!
Thanks for all your help and advices. Here is the list of my new Hostas:
TOKUDAMA FLAVOCIRCINALIS
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
TOUCH OF CLASS
THUNDERBOLT
JUNE
MIDDLE RIDGE
PATRIOT
FIRE AND ICE
QUEEN JOSEPHINE
INNISWOOD
HALCYON
FRAGRANT BLUE

All of them except HALCYON are planted now. I decided to pot HALCYON for now, because it is a tiny baby. I also have less common varieties my friend gave me:
CRACKER CRUMBS
OOH LA LA
PEPPERMINT ICE
X-RATED

Those 4 are also potted babies.
If you can give me some feedback on these varieties, I will really appreciated it.
As you can see, I have slightly more than 10 actually :0)
Thanks again,
Alina.