Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ is one huge hosta that you should get if you have the space AND if you can be certain that you are acquiring it from a reputable source where it you will be safe from HVX.
Size? Man-eating. Color? Green as kermit the frog. If you’re fancy you could call it chartreuse. It was named hosta of the year in 2004.
This was the second hosta I bought after moving into the new house. I just love this plant so after Gold Standard, I bought this one (2005). On the top ten lists regularly, the leaves on this plant are monster huge and every year has been a treat to see it get bigger and bigger. Unfortunately Sum was previously located in a side yard that I always wanted to take care of but just never had enough time. I don’t know why I wasted springtime of ‘06 on those flower beds at the front of the house!
Although I planned on reworking the bed I ditched the whole side yard in the spring of 2008 and transplanted just about everything I cared about to the back gardens – including Sum and Substance. It took a massive effort and two of us to carry the rootball from the front to the back.
From 2007:
