Giant hostas are the largest cultivars of commonly available hostas, typically growing to a spread of 5-6 feet wide. They generally reach their full size once they’ve been in the ground for about five years. Empress Wu, Sum & Substance, and Gentle Giant are some of the most popular giant hosta varieties.
1. Empress Wu hosta
Empress Wu hostas generally grow to 5′-6′ wide and 3′-4′ tall. Established plants growing in excellent conditions have been known to reach up to 8′ wide! The leaves of Empress Wu Hostas are about 18″ long and 15″ wide at the leaf’s widest point. Flower stalk scapes generally grow about 36″-40″ tall.
The leaves are huge and flat, and the entire plant maintains a subdued green color, giving your garden the subtle depth it deserves. In the spring, this hosta sprouts pale lavender flowers, which adds a pleasant pop of color without going over the top.
If you’re looking for a giant plant with deep, leathery veins, then look no further than the Empress Wu! Because this plant was named after the first and only woman Empress of China, it’s no surprise that this plant has all the splendor of royalty.
2. Sum and Substance hosta
Sum and Substance hostas generally grow to 4′-6′ wide and 2′-3′ tall. The leaves of Sum & Substance Hostas are about 18″ long and 15″ wide at the leaf’s widest point. Flower stalk scapes generally grow about 40″-44″ tall.
This chartreuse plant has curved leaves with deep veins. Sum & Substance grows well in hot climates and is quite tolerant of full sun (it even helps bring out the best color). It also pops out flowers during midsummer. Its size and lighter appearance would indeed help give any garden more substance.
3. Gentle Giant hosta
Gentle Giant hostas generally grow to 5′-6′ wide and 3′-4′ tall. The leaves of Gentle Giant Hostas are about 14″ long and 12″ wide at the leaf’s widest point. Their flower stalks generally grow about 52″-56″ tall.
The Gentle Giant looks like it’s constantly reaching for the sky. Its leaves are cupped and point upward, making this the most upright hosta on the list. The entire plant is blue-green, and the leaves maintain a nice waxy gloss (as long as they’re not always exposed to direct sunlight).
4. T-Rex giant hosta
T-Rex hostas generally grow to 6′-7′ wide and 2′-3′ tall. The leaves of T-Rex hostas are absolutely massive at about 18″ long and 14″ wide at the leaf’s widest point. Their white flowers usually bloom at about 32″-36″ tall.
T Rex hostas are “flatter” than most other giant hosta varieties. They actually look very similar to Empress Wu hostas, aside from the dip in the middle of a T Rex leaf. These veined leaves are cupped as well, so they can catch and pool water sometimes.
5. Blue Angel hosta
Blue Angel hostas generally grow to 5′-6′ wide and 3′ tall. The thick leaves of Blue Angel Hostas are about 16″ long and 12″ wide at the leaf’s widest point. This variety has stalk scapes that reach about 44″-48″ tall while in full bloom.
6. Earth Angel
Earth Angel is a sport of Blue Angel known for its gorgeous variegated foliage. Like its parent, it creates a huge mound of leaves about 5′-6′ wide and 3′ high. Each leaf is about a foot long, with a dusky blue color splashed with bright green. The purple flowers bloom right above the foliage, adding another interesting tone to this plant in mid-late summer.
7. Elatior hosta
Elatior is very large hosta that can reach 6′ wide and 2′-3′ tall. This cultivar has a slightly upright habit, with leaves held a little more upward than most of the other varieties on this list. Elatior is also known for having the highest flower stalks of any hosta, with purple flowers on nearly 6′ tall stalks that bloom in late summer.
8. H.D. Thoreau hosta
H.D. Thoreau hosta is a specialty giant hosta with huge, thick, leathery silver-blue leaves. In good conditions, the plant reaches an impressive 6′-7′ wide and 3′-4′ tall, making it one of the largest cultivars available. This rare rippled variety is almost like having an elephant in the garden!
9. Hirao Majesty hosta
Hirao Majesty hostas generally grow to 5′-6′ wide and 2′-3′ tall. The leaves of Hirao Majesty hosta are about 16″ long and 10″ wide at the leaf’s widest point. The scapes generally grow about 40″ tall. Hirao Majesty hostas have glossy, pointed, rippled leaves that point downwards. The flowers are a pale lavender-purple tone.
10. Bigfoot hosta
Bigfoot hostas generally grow to 5′-6′ wide and 2′-3′ tall. The leaves of Bigfoot Hostas are about 19″ long and 12″ wide at the leaf’s widest point, and the scapes generally grow about 30″-34″ tall. Bigfoot hostas have blue-green leaves that are nicely dimpled. The flowers are white, appearing in the middle of summertime.
11. Donahue Piecrust hosta
Donahue Piecrust hostas generally grow to 5′-6′ wide and 2′-3′ tall. The leaves are about 12″ long and 7″ wide at the leaf’s widest point and the flowering stalks generally grow about 26″ tall.
Donahue Piecrust is an excellent example of a giant hosta with rippled leaf edges (hence the piecrust name). The leaves are a nice bright green color, and the flowers are white (although the stalks are short, making the flowers somewhat insignificant).
12. Big Mama hosta
Big Mama hostas generally grow to 5′-6′ wide and 2′ tall. The leaves of Big Mama Hostas are about 18″ long and 13″ wide at the leaf’s widest point. The scapes generally grow about 40″ tall.
Big Mama hostas have green-blue leaves with deep ribbing. These plants produce lots of lavender-colored flowers, which are nicely displayed on tall stalks above the leaves.
13. Big Daddy hosta
The Big Daddy hosta grows to reach about 4′ wide and 2′-3′ tall. Each leaf is about 1′ wide and long. The flowers of this large cultivar are white and sit just above the height of the leaves. Despite the name, this is one of the smaller “giant” hostas available.
Big Daddy is known for the dense arrangement of the leaves when compared to many other larger cultivars. The leaves are thick, blue, cupped, and almost heart-shaped, with a seersucker texture.
14. Bressingham Blue
Bressingham Blue is similar to Big Daddy but is actually slightly larger. This cultivar is more likely to reach 4′-5′ wide and boasts gorgeous blue-grey foliage. Each leaf of this giant is typically over a foot long, and sometimes even a foot wide as well. ‘Bressingham Blue’ is an excellent choice for those who are looking for a true blue hue in a large cultivar.
15. Jade Cascade hosta
Jade Cascade hostas generally grow to 5′-6′ wide and 3′-4′ tall. The narrow leaves of Jade Cascade Hostas are about 20″ long and 10″ wide at the leaf’s widest point. The scapes are tall, reaching about 40″-44″ tall when in bloom.
Jade Cascade hostas are known for their glossy, arrow-shaped, pointed dark green leaves. As the name suggests, the leaves point downward. The edges of the smooth, shiny leaves are gently rippled.
16. Gunsmoke hosta
Gunsmoke is a specialty giant hosta variety with pointed, satiny green-blue leaves. This plant reaches 5′-6′ wide and 2′-3′ tall and is a vigorous grower in general. The leaves of this plant are over a foot long and usually much narrower than they are long.
More giant hosta cultivars to choose from
The varieties above aren’t the only giant hostas out there! Here are some 40+ more giant hosta cultivars to check out:
- Abba Dabba Do hosta
- Alex Summers hosta
- Alice Gladden hosta
- Am I Blue hosta
- American Halo hosta
- American Icon hosta
- Andrew Jackson hosta
- Atlantis hosta
- Barbara Ann hosta
- Big John hosta
- Big Kahuna hosta
- Blue Hawaii hosta
- Blue Seer hosta
- Blue Umbrellas hosta
- City Lights hosta
- Daybreak hosta
- Devon Giant hosta
- Formal Attire hosta
- Fragrant Gold hosta
- Frosted Jade hosta
- Golden Sculpture hosta
- Gray Cole hosta
- Great Lakes Gold hosta
- Great Plains hosta
- Great River Sonata hosta
- His Honor hosta
- Incredible Hulk hosta
- King Michael hosta
- Komodo Dragon hosta
- Krugerrand hosta
- Lakeport Blue hosta
- Metallic Sheen hosta
- Mississippi Delta hosta
- Mr. Big hosta
- Prince Of Wales hosta
- Queen of the Seas hosta
- Sagae hosta
- Satisfaction hosta
- Sea Blue Leather hosta
- Sea Monster hosta
- Snowden hosta
- True Blue hosta
- Yankee Blue hosta
How to grow really giant hostas
Luckily for you, hostas are remarkably easy to grow, which is part of the reason why they’re so popular. Hostas have been one of the top-selling foliage perennials in the USA for a long time, and it’s because of how nice and convenient they are.
Getting your hosta to grow bigger is relatively easy when you add a few more steps to the basic growing routine. The basics are to choose a location with a bit of morning sun if possible, enrich the soil with organic matter before planting, use an organic mulch to keep weed competition down, resist the urge to divide them or move/transplant them, trim off dead leaves as they appear, and keep an eye out for slugs and other hosta-eating pests (like deer).
