Anne Scott-James

"Her second marriage was to the war correspondent and broadcaster , with whom she had a son and a daughter. He liked sport and shooting, while she preferred the arts and literature. Hastings was very rightwing, she liberal in the tradition of . They had a tremendous row over , which she considered an act of barbarism, while he saw as a hero. His remark that "Ive got the three things I wanted most, a Churchill gun, a and a beautiful wife" did not go down at all well. She strongly resented "being counted as a chattel with a gun and a rod". When divorce inevitably came, she said they had never shared a close relationship."

"Wherever she went, Vita collected seeds and roots and s, and always travelled with a and a few potatoes into which she would put cuttings to keep them moist and fresh."

"The Great Parterre at , planted by , was abolished by , a priceless piece of history lost."

"Florists flowers, especially s and tulips, were already popular in the , and a book on the subject, The Florists Vade Mecum, by the Rev. , son-in-law of the great gardener and gardening writer, , was published on 1683."