@Shibumi and @hobilus and @Preston
I also got two purported Girardis from EL earlier this year. I think they advertised them as being on their own roots from cuttings, so that would explain the lack of a graft. However, I also started to get suspicious that the internode length was too large, so I ordered two more Girardis from Whitman Farms for comparison. (Like @Shibumi , I cannot tolerate a non-dwarf tree in that particular location.)
The following four photos are of the EL Girardi, which was planted at the end of July (and repotted a week ago):
It grew rather vigorously, and I cut half of it away when repotting. It is worth noting, however, that all mulberries grow like gangbusters here.
Now here are five photos of the Whitman Farms Girardi, which was just planted last week:
Curious to hear if there is consensus from the experts as to whether either is genuine.
edit: misplaced photo