Lilias Sheepshanks, who has died aged 92, gave up a promising career as a concert pianist for a life of good causes as an army officer’s wife; nevertheless, she was close to many of the great musical figures of her day, including the conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent, who was her godfather, and the composers Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Ischia's famed La Mortella gardens have become the latest partner of Britain's renowned Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). La Mortella ('place of myrtles') is a private garden on the iconic Bay of Naples island, first opened to the public in 1991. (ANSA)
A guide to the most enchanting gardens in and around Rome, from rose gardens and botanic gardens to tropical gardens designed by renowned garden designers.