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Ben Lomond Black Currant (Bundle of 2) | Spring 2027
$39.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Ben Lomond Black Currant is a currant shrub rated hardy to zone 3 in our ratings (winters to -40°F), and self-fertile, so one plant can crop.
| Hardy to | Zone 3 to 7. A bare number means the whole of zone 3, colder half included (winters to -40°F). Our notes have it taking -50°F. Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Pollination | Self-Fertile. Bloom group 6 of 7 (late), very early spring here. Ben Lomond sets fruit on its own. It flowers late, which helps it avoid spring frost; another black currant nearby can still boost the crop. Currant & Gooseberry Pollination Chart. |
| Good for | Juice and sweet cider (9/10), sauce and butter (9/10), jams and jellies (8/10), canning and freezing (7/10), wine (7/10), brandy and liqueurs (7/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| Deer | Sometimes damaged by deer. |
| What you get | Bare root, 6-12" or 1-2 ft or 2-3 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
This is our second year growing Ben Lomond currants, and we were actually able to taste the fruit already. The fruit is quite good, perhaps the sweetest of all black currants we’ve ever tried.
Flavor Comparison & Use
These will be far less sweet than the Montana Black Currants, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, we’ve heard from some of our customers that Montana Black Currants make the best jam. These would complement them quite well, or they could simply be purchased on their own, thanks to their nice, large, sweet berries. They’d likely be great in baked goods, too.
Cold Hardiness & Plant Size
Hardy to -50°F, these Ben Lomond currants are roughly 1–2 feet tall and very well rooted.
Shipping restrictions: white pine blister rust quarantine
Black currants (Ribes nigrum and its hybrids) are an alternate host for white pine blister rust. We cannot ship this plant to Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia, or West Virginia, where its sale or importation is prohibited by state law.
Permit or local restrictions also apply in: Michigan and New Jersey (state permit required) and New York (prohibited outside designated fruiting-currant districts unless the cultivar is certified rust-resistant). Several other states restrict planting only within specific counties or townships.
Orders placed to a prohibited state will be cancelled and refunded.
Questions we get about Ben Lomond Black Currant
Does Ben Lomond Black Currant need a pollenizer?
No. Ben Lomond Black Currant is self-fertile, so a single tree can set fruit. Ben Lomond sets fruit on its own. It flowers late, which helps it avoid spring frost; another black currant nearby can still boost the crop.
How cold hardy is Ben Lomond Black Currant?
We rate Ben Lomond Black Currant hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our notes have it taking -50°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
What is Ben Lomond Black Currant good for?
Our top use scores for Ben Lomond Black Currant are juice and sweet cider (9/10), sauce and butter (9/10), jams and jellies (8/10), canning and freezing (7/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
Will deer eat Ben Lomond Black Currant?
Sometimes. Deer browse Ben Lomond Black Currant now and then, so protect young plants where deer pressure is high.
What arrives, and when does Ben Lomond Black Currant ship?
A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 6-12" or 1-2 ft or 2-3 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.