There’s not a lot of info on G.Madewell Nursery, so I figured I would go ahead and provide a truthful review of them. The nursery has attractive prices and shipping costs. I placed an online order July 14th 2023. Paid via the only method they offer, which is PayPal.
G.Madewell Nursery feels to me like a mom and pop, which I prefer over large companies. Their website says they are closed until October 1st, when they will start taking orders and shipping. So I’m not expecting any interaction with them on my order until then.
Here is my email order receipt. I ordered over $140 so I could receive free shipping.
Near McMinnville, TN, the “nursery capitol of the world”. Sounds like a start-up or a rebranding or a division/split of an existing nursery in the area. Haven’t heard that name.
I have a couple friends that make trips from time to time to McMinnville and Smithville…maybe I can find out if they have a retail or wholesale ‘brick & mortar’ location.
Have a look at the link below. I own a sawmill and have milled ailanthus (tree of heaven, chinese sumac) Into lumber a few times. Once for custom spiral stair treads and another time for cabinetry.
ok. I’m glad that you were able to use it. If you cut down (or basal bark spray like I did) a TOH it will send up dozens of root sprouts. It will crowd out native plants. A mature TOH will send out thousands of seeds. I could smell the stink for a mile as it died. It was #1 invasive to get under control per USDA forestry when they surveyed for EQIP program.
I wish I could get you a few logs out of what I just cleared. There were a couple of American Elm that had fantastic heartwood that I’ll be cutting up for firewood in a few weeks. The problem is that there is a near vertical logging trail that without significant equipment it is impossible to harvest. Like my neighbor had a 30" white oak fall across his driveway. For a single tree its not of value. He cut it up for firewood. I saw it, huge stack.
Agree it does smell like something that came out of the back end of a possum, but the stink fads and in the end it’s beautiful lumber. It’s also good for cook stove, the wood burns good and hot to a fine ash. Red oak also stinks like puke but it’s the “standard” by which other hardwoods are measured against. Kind of like redhaven peach being the standard by which other peach varieties are measured against.
I can appreciate your dislike for ailanthus and I can confidently say, you are not alone. But ailanthus does have it’s uses also.
I’ve milled American elm. If you can get good clear 24 inch plus diameter butt logs, it saws into stunningly beautiful lumber for cabinetry.
Here’s some wild black cherry I milled earlier this week. 2" thick 16" wide live edge 12’ long. It’s going to become a booked matched live edge clear resin pour cast trestle table. Probably with live edge benches.
Stunningly beautiful! Please show me the final product if you can remember. I love the live edge look. If you ever have a small piece I would love to get a slab like this especially a piece of red cedar.
You eat honey I imagine? Are honeybees invasive…they’re certainly not native.
I don’t like Tree of Heaven. But invaders come in more damaging forms in the overall scheme of things.
One would think ‘tree lovers’ would love all trees, not hold prejudices against some for colored bark or smelly sap. But I digress.
I’d probably pay G Madewell Nursery a visit in person before placing a large order–but a trial likely to give good result. You don’t know if the trees are on MM106 or MM111 or seedlings…nor if they’re budded…or the percent that are mislabeled. Those might be bigger questions than if they’re legit and a good value.
Seems their FAQ points to grafts for their fruit trees. I read through the website before I ordered.
But you are right still don’t know about the feet and can only hope not mislabeled. We’ll see what it’s all about when I receive my order after October first.
I plan on ordering in Oct… the 6 month warranty doesnt do much for me… likely they will arrive in full dormancy from a cooler and 6 months after that will be March for me. Likely it will be 2027-2029 or so before i even know if they are true to name. I have no idea how they can sell grafted trees for $5 each and offer free shipping… i guess the why is more confusing than the how. $15 each would be more than fair.
Here is what i plan on ordering for now…
Ambrosia Pear
Alderman Plum
Bing Cherry
Golden Jubilee Peach
Governor Wood Cherry
NorthStar Cherry
Honeysweet Pear
Moonglow Pear
BlueGold Blueberry
Apricot Hedge
Will i be upset if they arent true to name? probably not.
Heres a guy that got pretty mad at Stark Bros…Seven years after his purchase… Another fellow got sent the wrong peaches by Gurneys…
I was looking at the appricot hedge, figured if I could get them up by the house I may have a chance of success from munching deer. I still would need some type of low fencing or trunk guarding. Since we have an abundance of the usual suspect critters (mice, rabbits, etc…). Curious to see what they look like when you receive your order.
My guess is that they are Manchurian (Bush Apricots). I guess a bush could be a hedge? I am probably going to put them in my pollinator haven… i think they bloom early and worst case scenario they are pretty to look at and early forage for bees.
I inquired of a nursery operator whose father-in-law used to own a 50 acre tree farm in Rock Island, TN. Says they sold it in 5 acre tracts. One or two buyers planned to sell fruit trees.
But the name Madewell didn’t ring any bells.
Still, most of the folks in the area (Warren, White, DeKalb counties) are honest, though some are rather poorly educated.
(Or, maybe those factors are connected in the times we live in.)
For apricot bush, my only hope is on the north side of the house for a row or two in the front of the house on the west side. I already know if I set them out anywhere away from the house, it’ll be like ringing the dinner bell for all the deer we have around here. For that matter the deer eat my wife’s roses in the front of the house so maybe that’s not even an option. Deer are thick here, they should issue more tags.
This would best be discussed in other areas of the forum. Nice buck though