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Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’
hosta
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Image © Great Plant Picks
Image © Great Plant Picks
Image © Great Plant Picks
Image © Great Plant Picks |
Printer-friendly Fact Sheet
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| Outstanding Qualities |
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Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ is a giant among this group of outstanding foliage plants. When grown well and established, its mammoth, chartreuse leaves – which can reach 20 inches wide and 3 feet long from petiole to tip – create a six-foot-wide mound that stops you in your tracks. This cultivar makes the perfect focal point in the woodland garden or shady border, and, unlike many hostas, its leaves are not eaten by slugs. Complement it with regal ferns or Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart‘. |
| Culture |
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Hostas are very hardy and easy to grow. While most cultivars are susceptible to slug damage, the thick leaves of ‘June’ are not popular with slugs. Plant it in bright shade for best results. It also grows in deep shade and full sun as long as the soil is rich and moist. Hostas prefer damp soil but grow well in average soil. Most hostas are drought tolerant once established, but drought AND full sun can result in scorched leaves. Divide plants while they are dormant between late fall to early spring. You may also divide them in spring, but this will slow down the expanding leaves and they will be smaller than usual for a season. For very large plants, use an all-purpose fertilizer in April and June. |
| Growing Habit |
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Hostas take several years to reach their typical size. ‘Sum and Substance’ grows into a huge clump, reaching three feet high and six feet wide with time. |
| Hardiness |
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USDA zones 4 to 10 |
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© 2009 Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden