Cutting back my hedge (still haven’t finished) I discovered one of the hazel trees had eaten a rock.

It was so firmly wedged I couldn’t shift it, even when I whacked it hard with a hammer, my standard fall-back position when all things more ladylike have been tried.

I’ve seen trees eat other trees, barbed wire, bits of string and rubber tree ties (that was a crabapple in my terrace garden last week) – but never a rock before.

Aren’t plants amazing?