Anne Frank tree sapling to be planted

Garden and greenhouse fans may understand the feeling of sadness when an old plant or tree dies.

However, when the horse chestnut tree in the Amsterdam garden that once belonged to Anne Frank fell recently, the news was reported around the world.

The tree had provided Ms Frank’s only view of the outside world and is mentioned several times in the diary that she kept while hiding from the Nazi soldiers in her attic.

Disease had weakened the specimen, which finally fell during a force-ten storm last month.

However, the Batsford Arboretum is set to plant a sapling taken from the fallen giant at its site in Gloucestershire, ensuring that it lives on.

The Anne Frank Trust took grafts from the tree three years ago and gave one to the Batsford Foundation.

Batsford trustee Tony Russell said: "The demise of such an important and cherished tree is a very sad event indeed, but it is heartening to know that Anne Frank’s tree will live on through its young offspring."

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, the fallen tree had been so weak that it had been propped up on steel frames before it snapped completely.