Combined forces

Grafting allows Toby to tap into his inner Frankenstein and give his favourite plants a chance to be even better

- Toby Buckland

I SPENT hours of my childhood building with LEGO, making everything from lampshadescraping towers to giant ocean liners. Although I've long ditched the plastic bricks, I still love combining components to make something new, which probably explains my current passion for grafting.

Just like LEGO, grafting involves fixing one part of a plant onto the roots of another. Although it might seem incredibly technical - with its own lexicon of names like 'side veneer', 'whip and tongue', 'chip', 'T' and 'cleft' - the principle of grafting is incredibly easy.

Below the bark or 'skin' of all plants is a layer of green growth cells aka (should you need a conversation starter) vascular cambium. What makes this layer special is its ability to repair and meld not only within itself but with parts of other related species or cultivars.