An eager crowd has gathered beside an old flooded claypit in the grounds of Maydencroft Manor to celebrate a royal arrival. Once owned by the crown, this estate is now a native breeds farm where English longhorn cattle are reared for conservation grazing. Although the medieval manor house has accommodated queens and knights over the centuries, today’s noble guest has not enjoyed such luxurious surroundings. He’s spent the week in a bucket of water in my garden shed.
Our VIP (Very Important Poplar) is a male black poplar cutting from the royal estate at Sandringham, kindly donated by “phantom tree planter” Roger Jefcoate, to replace Hitchin’s much-loved hybrid black poplar that toppled in storms last year.
