There’s a cherry tree outside the gym I go to. I walk past it as I arrive and leave, and gaze out of the window at it between sets. At this time of year, it blossoms in the most stunning way. The flowers on one side are bright white, on the other side they are the warmest pink, and every spring it reminds me of a special skill that I was once taught that I wish I had call to use more – grafting.

Grafting is the method through which two different plants from the same species or genus are joined together to grow as one. It is a technique commonly employed in the cultivation of fruit trees and explains how the cherry tree I described above could appear to be one tree while behaving like two spliced together. The reason it can do this is that the resulting plant benefits from the qualities of the two different original plants. For example, a delicious apple variety that would normally result in a full-size tree could be grafted on to the rootstock of a smaller variety, so that it produces the desired fruit while being suitable for a modestly sized garden.

Grafting involves making a clean and precise cut on the “scion” (the section that will form the top part of the resulting tree) and doing the same with the “rootstock” (the lower, rooted part of the resulting tree) and carefully lining up their cambiums – the layer inside a stem where growth takes place – before binding them together. Over time, the two sections will fuse together to create one tree or plant.

Despite grafting being a fairly advanced horticultural technique that few gardeners will probably ever do (although I’d encourage anyone interested to give it a go, because it really feels like magic), I think it’s worth understanding how it works, as the practice underpins the cultivation of many of the plants and trees that we might buy for our gardens.

Additionally, the principle of carefully lining up plant tissue and binding it together is a useful one to have in your pocket – as I learned a few summers ago when I accidentally half-snapped the stem of an otherwise healthy tomato plant. I secured the broken section by using a plant label as a splint and taped it back together. I added another stake for extra support, and within a few weeks it was clear that the stem had fused, and the tomato plant produced a harvest.

If you decide to give grafting a go and find you’re particularly good at it, perhaps you could follow the lead of artist and professor Sam Van Aken of Syracuse University, who created The Tree of 40 Fruit, which, as its name suggests, is one tree that bears 40 different stone fruits, including peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries and almonds. Ideal if you’ve only got space for one fruit tree!