Hosta (Hosta 'Diana Remembered')
Hosta 'Diana Remembered' offers stunning blue-green, puckered foliage edged in creamy white, producing fragrant white summer flowers.
Scroll down to discover growing tips, care requirements, companion plants, and more
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ is highly prized among shade gardeners for its captivating foliage display. This specific Hosta cultivar forms a durable, mounded clump featuring medium, broad-ovate leaves that are distinctly puckered and richly blue-green, dramatically set off by slightly rippled, creamy white margins. Beyond the excellent leaf texture, Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ rewards the gardener with large, tubular white flowers during summer that carry a delightful fragrance.
As a classic herbaceous perennial, this Hosta thrives where many other ornamental plants struggle, making it a dependable foundation plant for dark garden corners. It establishes easily and requires relatively low maintenance once situated in its preferred cool, moist, and shaded environment. Cultivating Hosta ensures year-round structure and textural contrast in shaded landscapes, with Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ providing exceptional variegation.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Asparagaceae
- Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 3-8
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 1-2 ft
- Spread: 1-2 ft
- Bloom Time: June to July
- Bloom Description: White
- Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
The best time to plant or transplant Hosta is generally in the spring or early autumn, ensuring the plant has time to establish roots before temperature extremes hit. Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ demands evenly moist, organically rich, and well-drained soils. While it tolerates heavy shade, achieving the best color and form is often seen when the plant receives partial shade, perhaps with some gentle morning sun or dappled sunlight throughout the day.
Consistent moisture is key to maximizing the size and quality of the striking foliage on Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’. Water deeply and apply irrigation directly to the soil beneath the leaves to keep the foliage dry and improve overall plant health. Established plants show some tolerance for drier shade, especially those with naturally thicker leaves like this variety, but never allow the soil to fully dry out.
Maintenance is generally low for this Hosta. Divide the clumps as necessary, preferably in the early spring before the new leaves fully unfurl, or in the autumn. It is crucial to site plants where they are protected from harsh winds, which can physically damage the large leaves. Being a low-maintenance perennial, annual attention usually focuses on cleanup in the spring and consistent watering during dry spells.
Landscape Uses
Hostas are foundational plants in any shade garden, offering unparalleled textural diversity where flowering performance takes a backseat. Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ is extremely effective when used in groups or mass plantings, where its blue-green and white variegation creates powerful visual impact under the canopy of trees or against shaded walls. These plants serve excellently as the backbone in shady borders or as primary textural statements within woodland garden designs.
Because of their clumping habit, they function well as striking foreground elements or reliable underplanting beneath taller, deciduous shrubs. Consider pairing Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ with plants that appreciate similar cool, moist conditions, such as ferns, Astilbe for contrasting fine texture, or bleeding hearts. The medium size of this Hosta cultivar makes it versatile for slightly larger containers or defining the edges of shaded pathways.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
- Fragrant
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hosta is a genus valued primarily for its ornamental foliage, consisting of shade-loving, herbaceous perennials native across Eastern Asia. Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ is specifically noted for its 12-16” tall mound comprising puckered, blue-green leaves heavily edged with creamy white margins which extend onto the petioles. This cultivar produces racemes of large, fragrant, tubular white flowers reaching up to 28” tall during the summer months.
Tolerances
- Heavy Shade
- Black Walnut
Potential Problems
The primary antagonists for almost any Hosta, including Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’, are slugs and snails eager to chew jagged holes in the attractive foliage. Regular scouting, especially after damp evenings, combined with proactive management using baits or traps, is essential to prevent significant foliar damage. Be watchful for foliar nematodes, which cause browning between the leaf veins, usually due to overly moist conditions paired with poor air circulation.
Deer and rabbits frequently find Hosta leaves highly palatable and may consume them voraciously if given the opportunity. Protecting young plants, particularly in their first season, might require physical barriers or repellent sprays until the Hosta has fully established its mature size. Less common issues include leaf spot diseases and crown rot, which are mitigated by ensuring excellent soil drainage and watering only the soil itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ suitable for?
Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ is hardy across a wide range, thriving in USDA Zones 3 through 8.
How large does Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ grow?
This variety typically forms a mound that reaches 1 to 2 feet in height and spreads about 1 to 2 feet wide, with flower scapes rising slightly taller.
What sun exposure does Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ need?
This Hosta performs best in part shade to full shade conditions, though dappled light is optimal for the best leaf color retention.
When does Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ bloom?
The beautiful white flowers appear during the peak summer months, specifically from June through July.
Conclusion
Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’ is an outstanding, low-maintenance selection ideal for enriching any shaded area with its textural, variegated foliage and beautiful summer fragrance. Ensuring consistent moisture and protection from wind will allow this Hosta to reach its full potential. Before planting, confirm that your site conditions align with USDA Zones 3-8 and the required part shade exposure before welcoming this durable Hosta into your landscape.
Companion Planting
When designing a woodland garden centered around Hosta ‘Diana Remembered’, companion plants should share similar tolerances for shade and consistent moisture. Ferns, such as Japanese Painted Fern or Ostrich Fern, provide fine, contrasting textures that highlight the bold substance of the Hosta leaves. Consider using groundcovers like Ajuga or Vinca minor beneath larger specimens, or incorporating shade-tolerant flowering perennials like Columbine or Epimedium (Barrenwort) to introduce different bloom times and heights into the layered design.
Seasonal Care Calendar
Early spring marks the time to refresh the garden bed for Hosta. Clean away any old, deteriorating foliage from the previous year, apply a slow-release fertilizer if needed, and refresh the organic mulch layer, being careful not to pile it directly against the crown of the Hosta. Summer care focuses primarily on monitoring moisture; if rain is scarce, provide deep, targeted watering to the base of the plant. In late autumn, once the foliage has withered completely, cut back the dead material to prepare the Hosta for winter dormancy.
