perennial
Hosta 'Sum and Substance'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Hardy in zones 3–9, Hosta 'Sum and Substance' is a perennial. It grows 2–3 ft tall and 4–6 ft wide, so plant it 4 ft apart. Give it part sun to shade and average water. It flowers purple in August. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. Deer do eat it, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest and Florida and the Gulf, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Hosta 'Sum and Substance'
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 9
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well-drained soil.
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft tall × 4–6 ft wide
- Spacing
- 4 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Aug · purple
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- classic, modern
- Deer resistance
- Low: deer eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. ASPCA lists hosta as toxic (saponins): vomiting and diarrhoea.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $15–$30 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Remove flower stalks after bloom; clear foliage after hard frost.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Hosta 'Sum and Substance', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Hairy alumroot 'Caramel'Heuchera villosa 'Caramel'perennial · zones 4–9
- Spreading yew 'Densiformis'Taxus × media 'Densiformis'shrub · zones 4–7
- Lenten roseHelleborus × hybridusperennial · zones 4–9
- Coral bells 'Palace Purple'Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia 'Palace Purple'perennial · zones 4–9
- Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance'Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola'Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Hosta 'Sum and Substance': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants