Hosta 'Sum and Substance'
Hosta 'Sum and Substance' · Asparagaceae Popular
A giant hosta with huge, thick, chartreuse-gold leaves that can reach the size of a serving platter. The clump grows as wide as a small car.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late July to mid August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around hosta 'Sum and Substance'
The planner designed this bed around hosta 'Sum and Substance' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why hosta 'Sum and Substance' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hosta 'Sum and Substance' × 1, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Lingonberry × 8, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 9, blue
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 4, pink
- 5 Bugbane 'Brunette' × 3, white
- 6 Golden ragwort × 22, yellow
- 7 Gray's sedge × 3, green
- 8 Winter aconite × 10, yellow
- 9 Double snowdrop × 12, white
- 10 Snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- In the middle. At 3 ft it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and Japanese meadowsweet (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
- Bold leaf against fine. Lingonberry is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 10 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 41 of the 50 plants (82%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The bold leaves of hosta 'Sum and Substance' are set against the fine leaves of lingonberry, the kind of contrast that keeps a bed from blurring. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 52 to 48, left to right.
The planner's own design check: 8 Excellent, 9 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where hosta 'Sum and Substance' goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
Treat it as a shrub: one plant, given room, anchors a whole shady corner. The gold is brightest with some morning sun. Its thick leaves resist slugs better than most.
- A single giant feature in a shady bed
- Gold foliage to light up shade
- A slug-resistant hosta
What to plant with hosta 'Sum and Substance'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Ostrich fern: medium leaves against its bold ones.
- Astilbe: adds the flowers, late June to mid July; fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese painted fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about hosta 'Sum and Substance'
Does hosta 'Sum and Substance' need sun or shade?
Hosta 'Sum and Substance' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does hosta 'Sum and Substance' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should hosta 'Sum and Substance' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hosta 'Sum and Substance' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is hosta 'Sum and Substance' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.
Rated from the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
What does hosta 'Sum and Substance' look like in winter?
Hosta 'Sum and Substance' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Hosta
- August lily Hosta plantaginea
- Hosta Hosta
- Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' Hosta 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd'
- Hosta 'August Moon' Hosta 'August Moon'
- Hosta 'Blue Angel' Hosta 'Blue Angel'
- Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears' Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears'
- Hosta 'Curly Fries' Hosta 'Curly Fries'
- Hosta 'Elegans' Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'
- Hosta 'Empress Wu' Hosta 'Empress Wu'
- Hosta 'Fire and Ice' Hosta 'Fire and Ice'
- Hosta 'First Frost' Hosta 'First Frost'
- Hosta 'Francee' Hosta 'Francee'
- Hosta 'Frances Williams' Hosta sieboldiana 'Frances Williams'
- Hosta 'Gold Standard' Hosta 'Gold Standard'
- Hosta 'Golden Tiara' Hosta 'Golden Tiara'
- Hosta 'Great Expectations' Hosta 'Great Expectations'
- Hosta 'Guacamole' Hosta 'Guacamole'
- Hosta 'Halcyon' Hosta 'Halcyon'
- Hosta 'June' Hosta 'June'
- Hosta 'Krossa Regal' Hosta 'Krossa Regal'
- Hosta 'Liberty' Hosta 'Liberty'
- Hosta 'Patriot' Hosta 'Patriot'
- Hosta 'Paul's Glory' Hosta 'Paul's Glory'
- Hosta 'Praying Hands' Hosta 'Praying Hands'
- Hosta 'Royal Standard' Hosta 'Royal Standard'
- Hosta 'Sagae' Hosta 'Sagae'
- Hosta 'So Sweet' Hosta 'So Sweet'
- Hosta 'Stained Glass' Hosta 'Stained Glass'
- Hosta 'Wide Brim' Hosta 'Wide Brim'
- White-margined wavy hosta Hosta undulata 'Albomarginata'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late July to mid August; upright spires; lavender
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; chartreuse
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asparagaceae
Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.