Comments regarding Burnt Ridge Nursery

I have nothing but good things to say about Burnt Ridge Nursery. I have only ordered from them a few times, however, I certainly intend to order from them again. This year, I ordered two varieties of strawberries, two varieties of raspberries, black currant shrubs, quaking Aspen's, Bosc pear trees, a Rainier cherry tree, Methley plum tree, Flavor-rich peach tree, and RedLove apple trees. Seriously, everything was excellent. The raspberry canes were amazing. They were so big compared to what I have purchased before, and same with the black currant shrubs. They were huge. In every instance, compared to other online orders from other nurseries, every item was as good or better than anything I have ever purchased. And I felt the prices were very fair for what I got. I have been in horticulture for 40 years.
I have not really tried communicating by email, but the couple or three phone calls I made were met with very courteous and helpful customer service. I certainly intend to order from them again for the next season. Thank you Burnt Ridge Nursery!

I made a very lathe of about 1/4 of the stuff was good.
1/2 was below expectations
And 1/4 was completely unacceptable

Cracked bark, rotten propagated rootstock and a sub 3/8 trunk on a $32 Apple tree.

An Asian part with rough pruning only 20" tall
An "extra large" 6 foot plus almond seedling 3/8" diameter and under 5' before pruning

I called and they said send an email, I will update after.

I will order from 39th Parallel Nursery and England's Orchard in the future.

I will update after a

just received an order two larger size persimmon trees (only 3/8 caliper) and one jujube tree (only 1/4 stick). very disappointed, the larger size persimmon trees are only 3/8 caliper and the jujube tree only 1/4 caliper, it is unacceptable. this nursery can not be trusted.

Posted on July 27, 2019, updated February 17, 2023
I bought several hazelnut trees from Burnt Ridge. Michael was helpful in recommending varieties and planting strategies for my situation. Burnt Ridge shipped on schedule, and the bare root trees seemed to be in good shape. I planted them a day after receiving them in bare ground and then they were covered with snow for a month starting the next day. Now six months later, the trees are doing well.

Burnt Ridge seems to take a while to respond to email messages, but I assume that reflects how busy and popular they are. The web site includes good and detailed information. I've already planned another order for the fall.

I've ordered from Burnt Ridge every year for 4-5 years now. I've always been happy with the plants and I really appreciate that they send many of the plants bareroot. It seems to cut down on how badly the plants get beat up during shipping, plus it saves money on shipping costs.

Their customer service has always been very helpful and friendly.

Very disappointed. Their website descriptions are very deceiving. I ordered 4 different blueberry plants and 25 strawberry plants. I ordered the gallon size blueberry plants (the biggest available on their site at the time) it gave the impression they would fruit this year and they would arrive in planted pots thats what they all said in the description. None came in pots. They arrived squished into a small long thin box. Barely any root system and no green leaves. The strawberry plants were squished in the bottom of the same box again barely any roots also the impression theyd be old enough to produce this year. I immediately contacted them when I opened the box and they said the gallon pot description is just what they grow them in the nursery. I complained further because for the price I paid I could have got actual potted ones locally or at another online store that I later contacted and guaranteed their potted description meant they'd arrive in pots. The blueberry plants are so small they will definitely not fruit this year and half thr strawberry plants were completely dead. They didnt offer a refund of any kind and actually didnt respond back to my last email stating their website was deceiving and how unhappy I was with my order.

I love this place.
You talk to real people who like talking about plants. No automated phone system to nowhere.
Right now they are my favorite nursery.
Some notes:
Keep checking back. They do not list things they do not have. I think we all have a deep loathing for all the "Out of stock" companies who waste our time when we are shopping for plants. They are not one of those companies so you will not get pointed there if they do not have something.
Order your scionwood separately from your plants or it will get canceled. OK this one really irritated me. They do not mention it on their site.
If you have the option to order a larger container always go for the biggest. With most companies there is a little difference when you move up a pot size so it is fine saving money. Here, when I go say, gallon instead of quart, I get something that is clearly abusing steroids and would eat the 1 quart plant if left alone with it. For example 1qt kiwi is ~12" tall, gallon kiwi is around 10 feet long. Sure the last 5-6 feet of that kiwi got snapped off but I got to try rooting that.. I failed but the size difference is amazing.

The blueberry selection and prices for the plugs were great, and they arrived in good condition. Would definitely order blueberries from them again. My paw paw seeds were a bit moldy though, so I would avoid those unless maybe you live relatively close to the nursery and they might arrive quicker.

I've been ordering for years at Burnt Ridge Nursery, and I've always been satisfied. This year I order several bundles of raspberries which I found to be robust and with extensive root systems. The nursery offers great variety and lower prices than most.

I ordered two black walnut trees from this company. The trees cost $10 and the shipping was $23.50. When the trees arrived with no roots and completely dead (cambium was dark brown), I contacted the company and asked for a refund. They ignored my first email and only responded when I emailed a second time and told them I was going to contact PayPal for a refund. At that time, they refunded $10 but said their policy was to not refund shipping in the summer months. This policy did not appear anywhere on their website. When I pointed that out, I was referred to the home page, where, again, the policy is NOT listed. They also insinuated that I had somehow killed the trees, even though I told them the condition the trees were in upon arrival. I have requested a refund through PayPal and I have complained to the business about their unethical practice of making their profit on an unstated shipping policy, but I don't expect much. Lesson learned and I will not be using this nursery again ever. I will also make sure that the several gardening forums I am on know about this experience and shy clear. I hope it was worth the $23.50 to them.

I ordered 4 American Persimmon trees - first (and last) time ordering from this company. When they arrived (dormant) I couldn't tell if they were viable or not but my experience made me doubtful - poor looking/minimal roots and a general poor look (I am an experienced grower). I gave the trees several months to show life and not a single one ever did. Poor quality plants

Understand I have purchased trees from this company for years. Have always been impressed by their customer service, their quality, their shipping. Today I received 6 fruit trees. I can live with the peach tree having 3 branches broke off in shipping as pruning. But I was very disappointed in the VAN cherry tree. I realize it was the last one in stock but they really should have thrown it away or sold it as a scrub. Approx 3 foot stick with approx 1 foot withered root. $29 plus shipping for a second (or maybe even a third). We planted it immediately and gave it some vitamin B. Hoping some TLC will save it but so very disappointed in the fact they shipped this. They took full price for a very low quality item. I'm thinking new managment?

Posted on November 2, 2018, updated April 6, 2020
Posted on May 2, 2015, updated November 2, 2018
Last spring I ordered 2 different types of juglans regia seedlings. Both were supposedly very hardy strains. They arrived in perfect condition. Well they leafed out and grew very well for awhile probably doubling their size. The first one died sometime in summer; it just randomly wilted. The second tree remained, but has failed to leaf out. Apparently it wasn't hardy enough to withstand a southeastern Ohio winter. Not too pleased.

I am leading an effort to establish a hardwood plantation in Wyoming and made Burnt Ridge Nursery a part of this effort with a $1400 order of Shagbark Hickory and Skookum and Sleeping Giant Chestnut seedlings.

I gave this order every chance. I wish I had done a detailed inspection of the seedlings upon pickup this past spring. I was expecting to pick up dormant seedlings from cold storage but instead all were well past bud break and quite leafy. All our other dormant stock from other suppliers was picked up well prior to bud break.

The shagbark hickory seedlings were quite a disappointment. All but 2 had the taproot cut between 4” and 6” below soil surface. The other 2 were J Roots. Of the 72 seedlings delivered, we have 11 surviving at this time. It looked like the roots had been cut for some time before pickup as they appeared to be aged cuts. The original order was for 150 of the seedlings. We were advised during the winter of crop failure and the inability to fulfill the original order. It is apparent why now. You just can’t sever the taproot that shallow and expect survival.

The various chestnut deliveries also were problematic. While the survival rate is much better than the hickory, around 50% of the seedlings had damaged terminal buds due to apparent deer browsing. As with the hickories, the chestnuts were for investment grade timber production and these damaged specimens were not suitable for this purpose.

All these trees were planted three days after pickup. We gave these specimens more care than our other species trying to increase the possibility of survival with far less success results.

When these issues were brought to the attention of Burnt Ridge all I was received was denials and then they went dark. This is not acceptable customer service. These seedlings were also not a quality product. Seek your product elsewhere. If you are in the Northwest area, get your stock from the University of Idaho Pitkin Nursery. We’ve received several thousand trees from them without issue. They are on top of everything! We just wish U of I worked with Shagbark Hickory and the Chestnut hybrids.

JJ Jackson, CEO
Star Valley Hardwood Plantation

A beautiful farm! I was lucky enough to get a private tour of the 23 acre farm on a warm Washington day, and was able to see the great conditions of all of the plants & trees. In addition to meeting the lovely farm workers and receiving a warm welcome from the owners, I was able to try their fresh hazelnuts, chestnuts, apples, and even their new wine! Of the wine I highly suggest the kiwi-Asian pear and the blackberry grape. Finally, I bought one of the charming, small monkey puzzle tree starts, and several months later it has grown and kept it's healthy glow. I am very satisfied with my experiences with the Burnt Ridge Nursery and highly recommend their plants, harvests, and wine!

Every plant I got were diseased. Got in March, already dying in May. Seller said they did not know why but plants would do better in fall, and would replace if they don't. Half are completely dead by September. Seller now said "our guarantee only covers plants that fail to leaf out in the spring they are received." Seller also advised me to fertilize the dead trees and told me they would "look better" next spring. I takes good care of my plants. I grow plants from other nurseries without issues : peach, persimmon, jujube, berries, etc. The trees I got from them were supposed to be very hardy: north star sour cherry and Chinese Hawtorn. The spring/summer 18 were uncommonly ideal for growing in our area. (mild with enough rain).

Over the course of several years, I've ordered all my trees and shrubs from Burnt Ridge, with great success -- Siberian peas, dogwood, currant shrubs, gooseberry plants, elderberries, and an apricot tree. I am in far north California, so shipping is quick, which I'm sure helps. Everything has thrived.

Everything I've ever ordered from them has been great. Honeyberries, gooseberries, raspberries, weeping mulberry, two fig trees. Usually I order, and they bring them to the Olympia Farmers Market for me.

Recently, I ordered and picked up a Queen Cox apple tree from them (as they told me that, for a beginner, Cox's Orange was not a good choice because of potential disease problems in the Pacific Northwest.) The tree is doing wonderfully!

NIce folks doing good work.

I've made two purchases from Burnt Ridge. Both have been very good. The customer service this year was great. I must have made 6 or 7 changes to my order with no problem. All plants look very healthy and were labeled well. The 8 hazelnut cultivars are very nice looking plants - all 30-36" tall. Persimmons, Mulberries, Currants and Siberian Pea Shrub look great. The 'Gerardi Dwarf' mulberry that I lost last year was replaced - no questions asked. Thanks for doing what you do.

I placed an order with Burnt Ridge this year. I ordered Paw Paw seedlings that were priced at $15 per gallon. A few days later I received an order confirmation that stated that I owed $10 on the order plus additional postage. They said that they had changed their mind on the price in the catalog after they printed it and decided to raise the price. I cancelled the order and requested that they refund my money.

I ordered three Plum Blossoms, which seem to be somewhat hard to find. I ordered them in late May, which is pushing the end of the smart season to plant. They started sprouting right away. They continue to grow and already looks better than some apple trees from a different, large, mail order company from a couple of years ago.

I recently ordered a few chestnut, persimmon, and butternut seedlings from these guys. They called me within hours of my order to tell me they were out of butternut seedlings and one of the chestnuts i ordered. I had them replace the butternuts with black walnuts and my order shipped that same day. Now I thought 22 bucks was outrageous for shipping. But with how cheap the trees were, I decided it kind of balanced out. It turned out the shipping was so expensive because it was next day air. I got my trees early the next day, about 30 hours after i placed my order. Everything was beautiful and healthy. Most of the trees were bare root except one chestnut that was potted and leafed out and looks amazing. It's been about a week since i put everything in the ground and everything except the persimmons are getting ready to leaf out. The persimmons look fine, they are just being lazy. I ordered these very same trees from a few different nurseries this year and these were the only trees where the entire order arrived healthy and in good condition. All the seedlings except the persimmons were at least 4 feet tall and had nice roots. I would order from these guys again, but a bigger order to get a little more bang for that pricey next day air.

I recently put in an order for a own-rooted Mulberry tree, and a few other items. One item they decided to charge me $5 more than was listed, a green gage plum.

One was an apple tree that had already broken dormancy and by the time I got it, already had leaves on it dying.

The worst was a "self-rooted" Illinois Mulberry tree that in the past was shipped in a pot. It was not in a pot, and was not self-rooted, as it had a clear bud joint. Not only that, the rootstock was badly damaged, with the cambium layer roughly half off right below where it had been budded.

I contacted Burnt Ridge, and they basically denied it, and told me to plant it, and like it. They offered no assistance, and no remorse for sending such a bad plant. Just denial, and we hope you like it. I didn't.

Posted on June 24, 2016, updated April 26, 2017
I ordered two Asian pear trees from this place recently and had a great experience. From ordering to arrival took about a week despite being on the other side of the country. The two trees were remarkably cheap ($20/25)for the size they came in (~5') and have started growing very well so far. Their ordering system is modern as well and keeps you informed of the process as each step along the way and provide you with a tracking number for your parcel.

I will do business with them again without hesitation.

Posted on March 12, 2016, updated April 21, 2017
This is my second season ordering from BRN. This year’s order was larger, over 50 plants. The plants arrived in good shape and well packed. Roots were properly covered and moist. Shipping was on time and on the dates requested. All correspondences with BRN (phone and email) were answered promptly and in a friendly manner. I was informed of order changes (due to some weather issues), and substitutions were made seamlessly. The entire process was well managed. Thanks Burnt Ridge.

I ordered raspberries, three grafted hazelnuts, two grafted cherries, and two grafted apples. The same year I ordered from Stark.

Two of the hazelnuts were own root, and one had two different tags on it identifying it as different kinds. The smaller trees died right away. The larger hazelnut caught some disease and died in the fall. Most of the raspberries died by this spring.

The Stark plants are doing fine.

When I call or write, no one knows what is going on and have a hard time figuring it out. Either these are the stupidest people on the planet, or they intentionally do not want to take responsibility.

BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE

At these prices, use a better nursery. Burnt Ridge will introduce disease to your soil. I spent all last summer picking individual sick leaves off my trees to prevent spread of possible fungal diseases. What a waste.

Out of 4 trees I ordered from them, one had graft failure within a few days, one died after a few months, one is struggling, and one is thriving. They refuse to replace the tree with graft failure. Too many variables, they say -- drifting herbicides and caterpillars that could run amok, you know.

There are other better nurseries out there who care if their plants survive and will ship you replacements if they don't because they care about return customers. Burnt Ridge has apparently chosen to focus on first time customers only.

I've ordered a few things from Burnt Ridge, with good survival of shipped plants (mostly trees)--in fact I can't remember any failures. Their prices are good though the plants tend to be correspondingly small--though I've read that smaller trees do better with shipping/transplanting because it is less of a shock to them.

In fact, Montrose Apricot, which was pretty small when shipped, maybe 2 feet tall above the graft, has done very well for me in its second year: it has caught up in size with trees that were initially much larger (also mail ordered).

Burnt Ridge gets very high ratings from me. This was the first time I ordered from them, but it won't be the last time. They communicate well about your order, and answer technical questions, such as pollination inquiries, in a prompt fashion. I decided to add 2 blueberry bushes to my order a couple months after my original order, and they simply just emailed a new invoice with updated total...no fuss.
The plants themselves were in great shape as shipped, and the prices are hard to beat. Very good and diverse selections. I planted a Contender Peach, Mericrest Nectarine, 2 Sleeping Giant Chestnut seedlings, along with the BB bushes, and all are growing well, flush with dark green foliage. The caliper of the Peach and Nectarine are visibly larger than when I planted, and the scaffolds are growing at nice angles and distances from one another. In 2 years I expect they will be providing me delicious fruit from well shaped trees. Thank you Burnt Ridge!

I've ordered about $400 worth of trees and shrubs from them since March 2015. The 2 almonds and 2 hazelnuts are 1 year later, still scragglely and one of the hazenuts had to be replaced. They agreed to either send one free if I split the difference in shipping or send one free if I ordered something else. So since I needed a 2nd American Chestnut as I I ordered one of those and the one they set was snapped in two to within six inches of the roots. Now the American Chestnut I bought from them last year is still alive but didn't grow much and I reckon the broken one they sent will survive too.

I also bought 2 Kiwis, Goojiberry, Honeyberry, Viking Aronia, Saskatoon, Izu Persimmon, Chandler Walnut, and Apricot and all are alive but mediocre or poor in performance so far except the 2 apricots and 1 walnut have been astounding well growing and look great. The persimmon I moved just yesterday to a sunnier spot and was surprised at how little, if any the roots had grown, the top didn't grow much either but more sun should help. The rest are in sunny locations with good or amended soil but then I know from past experience it typically takes 2 - 3 years before a plant will start to thrive in it's location so that's not unexpected.

The biggest disappoint was being told by their staff that the Hazelnut that needed replacement was my fault despite the fact that of about $1000 worth of fruit & nut trees, vines, shrubs, and brambles I've planted since May 2014 only the Hazelnut I told Burnt Ridge Nursery about failed.

So they would have gotten a neutral if not for their customer service blaming me for the failed plant. Honestly for the prices and shipping they charge a neutral is as good as you can give them for most of what they are selling. As I've yet to order from an online nursery that sends anything near what you can buy at the home improvement or discount stores, be prepared to wait 2 - 3 years before what you order is comparable to what you buy locally so that's expected and that's average and that's neutral.

And that neutral is relative to their nursery competition, I still think gardening is a positive hobby worth the costs but that in general applies to everybody.

For those wishing to shop there if they have something nobody else has I will order it there but if other nurseries have those items I will give those nurseries a try, for example, I received a beautiful American Witchhazel from Cold Stream Nursery this week. However, I probably will order that one special type of walnut I want from Burnt Ridge and a few not so popular shrubs from there.

Placed my fall order 11/3/15 for multiple shrubs and berry bushes. Received a confirmation email that expected ship month, November, but will be on a first come, first served manner. Ok, I get it. Its business. 3 days later, I get an email that it will be shipped in the spring, Feb or March. Well, not happy, but ok. I will wait. Fall is a better time frame to plant, but spring should be ok for shrubs. I then receive an email Jan 5, 2016 that they are out of half of my order. Really? They didnt know this 2 months ago when I could have ordered from a competitor. Never again!

I made my first purchase from burnt ridge nursery in spring 2015 a Hana fuyu persimmon. I proceeded to place several more orders that spring. Of the several hundred dollars worth of plants ordered last spring 2 died, the persimmon and a red dragon hazelnut, I believe due to root disturbance. I placed another large order in late December 2015, it has yet to arrive and burnt ridge has honored their guarantee and added both of the plants that did not make it through the winter to the order free of charge and no additional shipping cost. Needless to say I am quite pleased with their costumer service and look forward to continuing to do business with them in the future!

Will never ever order anything from this nursery again, very disappointed! The persimmon tree they sent (bare roots) died and never leaf out since the spring (I did everything possible to save it). For $18 they replace it following spring, but same thing happened to the new tree. The bare roots tree they sent almost had no roots at all :( I wrote several emails +sent pictures of their dead tree, and my receipt with the order#, Michel Dolan wrote me back first (wanted more pictures), and I sent more pictures, but then my last email was just ignored it and never answered. I'm very disappointed. The other nurseries I also order from: justfruitsandexotic.com for example or raintreenursery, has an excellent service and about 20 trees that I ordered from them not even one tree died! People try to stay away from Burnt Ridge Nursery!

I ordered a bunch of stuff from this Nursery in the spring of 2014. I had to call and ask them to ship sooner rather than later, as we are zone 7 here, and I didn't want to get the plants in after it had warmed up too much. They sounded a little stunned at that. Two of the plants were pecans. I noticed when I received them that the roots were almost non-existent. Neither one ever leafed out, though all other plants I ordered did just fine. I contacted them, and they agreed to replace them the following spring for just shipping. So in spring 2015, I again received two pecan trees. One had well established roots and is leafed out and doing well. The second, again, had almost no roots. It did leaf out, barely, but has now dried up and died. I won't be ordering again. If you don't have the product established, don't offer it for sale. It just frustrates everyone involved. Unfortunately, I need a second pecan for pollination, so I will be looking elsewhere.

Hi, I ordered the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry and for being this late in the season it arrived today in perfect condition. It had broken dormancy in the 9 days it took from west coast to West Virginia and the buds were about a 1/4th inch long looking great. The roots were wrapped in wet news paper that was still wet. I soaked it 3 hours in water with water absorbing crystals and planted it. The buds had opened to about ½ inches by this time. Will post the text of this email as a favorable comment on Daves Garden Watchdog. I owned a small nursery for 20 years and this was the best packaged tree I have ever received. Thanks, John.

I ordered from them for the first time this year and I was really impressed. I usually order from Fedco and St. Lawrence every year and since St. Lawrence has closed their doors I need to fill the void. I tried several places this year including oikos(worst of all of them) and one green world(still waiting!) and Burnt Ridge has been a great experience overall. Thanks and looking forward to placing another order in the furure! Plants were well packed, well marked and extremely nice looking.

I purchased 7 chestnut trees from burnt ridge. I received a confirmation pretty quickly after. I waited for around 2 weeks and called and was advised they would ship the following Monday. I got my confirmation on Tuesday so they were a day later then what i was told. Not that big of a deal except I live in Indiana, and it is a 5 day shipment so they were stuck in transit over the weekend.
So i get the package on Monday. I have my holes dug and I'm ready when ups arives. I open the package and i review the trees, and I have 1 tree that was supposed to be a graft, but was a seedling with a dead top. Also have another seedling that is not too healthy looking. I emailed and advised of the issue, and was told to take a picture of the tree. I did and waited a week. I then received another email saying the picture was not clear enough. I am now borrowing a better camera and resending pictures this weekend. So far this has not been a good experience.
The custer service rep advised that once they have the picture then can replace in the spring, but will be charged again for shipping. I find this practice a little silly, since this was clearly a mistake made entirely on their part. Not only is it a dead tree but the wrong dead tree. I will change this rating to a neutral rating if indeed they send me the proper trees to replace the dead ones. Still feel like paying shipping again is a raw deal in this case. I could understand if the tree arrived properly and died at some point, but again wrong tree in the first place. So I have 2 out of the seven that are dead and 1 that has yet to leaf out but appears to be okay. Will update as this plays out.

Posted on April 18, 2015, updated April 18, 2015
Posted on December 6, 2005, updated April 18, 2015
I ordered from Burnt Ridge last spring. I was very pleased with the plants as I unpacked the box. Everything was larger than I feared and everything made it through shipping (cross-country) with no serious problems. I was even more pleased at the end of the summer as everything had settled in nicely and was growing well.

I am currently planning out my order for this year, and the only thing which will restrain my order for Burnt Ridge will be the growing lack of planting area I have remaining. I've recommeneded Burnt Ridge to many other gardeners and family members I am coaxing into growing edibles. If you are looking for the unusual or you wish to see what the neighbors aren't growing or you just like edibles gardening, check out their website, you won't regret it.

It is too early to tell yet. I ordered four three year old hazelnut bushes (Corylus americana) that were on sale for the price of two year olds. After my order was processed, they did send an e-mail they were out of stock and I would be receiving two year olds instead. The order shipped on time and arrived on time. I live just outside of Hermiston Oregon so Onalska Washington isn't too far for plants to travel. They arrived much smaller than I expected. They are about one foot tall sticks with roots. They feel dry and the bare roots have no trace that they have ever lived in soil or water before. The buds are small,dry and brown. I wasted no time in getting them in the ground and watered daily. They have been in the ground for a week now and I just don't know yet if they will survive or not. I will review again in 30 days and let you know what happens.