One of the most cold hardy sweet cherries, Black Gold has survived -33F. We formerly had it ranked third only to Gold and White Gold in terms of the hardiest sweet cherries. However, we have found Lapins to be hardier than Black Gold and White Gold. Its distinct sweet cherry flavor is met with some notes of honey and a splash of tangy goodness that is ideal for fresh eating and topped on ice cream when harvested in July. A self-fertile sweet cherry, Black Gold is also a very good pollenizer, possibly a "universal" pollenizer for its ability to overlap with many other sweet cherry bloom times. That said, its late blooming nature also helps those in colder climates avoid any late spring frosts. The fruit shows resistance to cracking and the tree also exhibits considerable tolerance to canker. Black Gold is a must have in any Montana sweet cherry orchard. Black Gold is hardy to zone 4a/3b protected sits.

Black Cherry for Spring 2025 is grafted onto Mazzard full size rootstock.

Image courtesy of Hans Braxmeier under CC 2.0.