Diana Grenfell (29 March 1935 – 19 March 2021) was a British gardener and horticultural writer who was a world expert on

hosta ''Hosta'' (, syn. ''Funkia'') is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is currently placed in the fa ...

s, a genus of ornamental plants.

Personal life

Diana Margaret Eva was born 29 March 1935 in Surrey, England. She was married to Roger Grounds. She used Diana Grenfell as her professional name. She died 19 March 2021.

Career

She started her own hosta collection and later, with her husband, founded and owned the Apple Court Gardens and Nursery in Hampshire. This contained around 1000 varieties, including at one time the plants that formed a National Collection of Hostas within the

National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens Plant Heritage, formerly known as the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG), is a botanical conservation organisation in the United Kingdom and a registered charity. It was founded in 1978 to combine the talents of bot ...

scheme. She introduced new cultivars. In 1981 she was one of the founders of the British Hosta and

Hemerocallis A daylily or day lily is a flowering plant in the genus ''Hemerocallis'' , a member of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae. Despite the common name, it is not in fact a lily. Gardening enthusiasts and horticulturists have long ...

Society.

Publications

She wrote several books about hostas and daylilies including ''The New Encyclopedia of Hostas'' (2009), ''RHS Wisley Handbook: Hostas'' (2008) Octopus Publishing Group, pp96, , ''The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hostas'' (2001) David & Charles, 160pp, , ''The Gardener's Guide to Growing Daylilies'' (2001) David & Charles, 160pp, and ''Hosta: The Flowering Foliage Plant'' (illustrations by Jenny Brasier) (1990) Pavilion Books, 192pp, . She also co-authored ''The New Encyclopedia of Hostas'' with Michael Shadrack (Second edition 2009, Timber Press, ).

Awards

In 1987 she was awarded the Alex J. Summers Distinguished Merit Award by the American Hosta Society. Grenfell was awarded the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Veitch Memorial Medal The Veitch Memorial Medal is an international prize issued annually by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Goal The prize is awarded to "persons of any nationality who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement o ...

in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grenfell, Diana 1935 births 2021 deaths British gardeners Veitch Memorial Medal recipients People from Surrey