Informational Videos

From The Team at Useful Plants Nursery

Planting a shrub or fruit tree

Chuck Marsh demonstrates how to plant a Nanking cherry

Pruning young fruit trees

Chuck Marsh demonstrates pruning young apple trees. This method is applicable for trees that are being pruned to have a central leader and scaffolds, including apples, pears, and cherries.

Pruning trees into bushes

Debbie Lienhart demonstrates pruning a young mulberry tree into a shrub, making the plant smaller and the fruit closer to the ground.

Pruning young blueberry bushes

Troy Swift demonstrates pruning a young rabbiteye blueberry. This technique also applies to highbush blueberries and can be used with most other young shrubs.

Pruning mature blueberry bushes

Chuck Marsh demonstrates pruning a mature rabbiteye blueberry that has not had regular pruning. This procedure rejuvenates the plant and is applicable for most shrubs that grow new branches from the ground.

Planting a blueberry bush

Chuck Marsh demonstrates planting a blueberry bush. Blueberries require additional soil preparation for optimum health.

Pinch pruning

Chuck Marsh demonstrates a pruning technique called "pinch pruning" or "tip nipping," in which the branch buds are pinched off to encourage development of branches, creating a more compact plant. We use this technique on most shrubs.

Taking care of blackberries

Chuck Marsh demonstrates several techniques for late spring care of trailing blackberries in his wife's blackberry patch.

Blackberry followup

Chuck returns to the blackberry patch in early summer to check on the earlier pruning and show a little more love to the plants.

Winter protection for figs and other cold-sensitive plants

In this series of videos, Chuck Marsh demonstrates several methods for protecting figs for the winter, and then checks to see which methods worked best. We use these techniques for plants that aren't reliably hardy in our area, including figs, pomegranates, Asian persimmons, and citrus.

Tucking figs in for the winter

This video demonstrates techniques more applicable for larger plants.

Winter protection for small figs

This video demonstrates techniques more applicable for smaller plants.

Untucking figs after winter

This video shows how the different methods compared.

Pruning muscadine grapes

Chuck Marsh goes on the road to South Carolina to demonstrate pruning mature muscadine grapes that have not been pruned for awhile.

Greenhouse timelapse

Here's a fun timelapse video of the construction of the greenhouse that we use for plant propagation.

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Visit Us

111 Another Way
Black Mountain, NC 28711

Beginning March 1 for Spring 2023:

  • Wednesdays 10 - 3:30
  • Fridays 9 - 5
  • Saturdays 10:00 -  3:00

We're always open by appointment.

If you have special plant requests, get in touch! Send us an email or call us at 828-669-6517. (Cash or check only).

Contact Us

(828) 669-6517

We are always open by appointment! Please call any time, any day of the week.

If you have special plant requests, get in touch! Send us an email or call us at 828-669-6517. (Cash or check only).