Zone 6 Plants for Color, Structure, and Seasonal Interest

USDA Zone 6 gives gardeners plenty of options for building colorful, layered landscapes. The zone is defined by an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of -10°F to 0°F, with Zone 6a covering -10°F to -5°F and Zone 6b covering -5°F to 0°F.

Garden Crossings offers Zone 6 plants suited to these winter conditions, including flowering shrubs, evergreens, and other landscape choices. The current collection includes plants for full sun, part shade, and full shade, making it easier to match your selections to the conditions in your yard.

Lavender Bubbles' Allium, an ornamental onion with round, vivid purple blooms, creates a striking display against green grass, adding bold color and interest with blurred grass in the background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.
Close-up of Chick Charms® Mint Chocolate Chip Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), a drought-tolerant perennial with red and green rosettes covered in fine hairs - Photo Courtesy of Garden SolutionsClose-up of a succulent garden with colorful, drought-tolerant perennials in red, green, and yellow hues. Water droplets glisten on the leaves of Chick Charms® Mint Chocolate Chip Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum). - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions

Chick Charms® Mint Chocolate Chip Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

$7.49
$9.99 $7.49

Close-up of Chick Charms® Mint Marvel™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), a drought-tolerant perennial succulent with pointed, fleshy green leaves edged in red and arranged in a rosette. Water droplets glisten on the foliage - Photo Courtesy of Garden SolutionsClose-up of Chick Charms® Mint Marvel™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), a drought-tolerant perennial succulent with rosettes of pointed green leaves tipped in deep red, creating an intricate, richly textured display - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions

Chick Charms® Mint Marvel™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

$9.99
$9.99

A close-up of the vibrant Chick Charms® Pineapple Paradise™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum) shows its spiky red-to-green leaves, with other colorful succulents in the background - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions

Chick Charms® Pineapple Paradise™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

$9.99
$9.99
Close-up of Chick Charms® Powdered Pastry Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), a drought-tolerant perennial with pointed, overlapping green leaves tipped with red and covered in delicate white fuzz - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions

Chick Charms® Powdered Pastry Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

$7.49
$9.99 $7.49
A close-up of Chick Charms® Silver Suede™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), a drought-tolerant perennial succulent with densely packed, rosette-shaped leaves in green and reddish-purple tones, each leaf ending in a pointed tip - Photo Courtesy of Garden SolutionsClose-up of Chick Charms® Silver Suede™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum) showing fleshy, pointed pink and green leaves with a soft, velvety texture - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions

Chick Charms® Silver Suede™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

$7.49
$9.99 $7.49
Close-up of Chick Charms® Strawberry Kiwi™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), featuring pointed green leaves with deep red tips and water droplets - Photo Courtesy of Garden SolutionsClose-up of Chick Charms® Strawberry Kiwi™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum) showing reddish-green pointed leaves with green edges and water droplets - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions

Chick Charms® Strawberry Kiwi™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

$7.49
$9.99 $7.49

Close-up of Chick Charms® Sugar Shimmer™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum) with thick, pointed, drought-tolerant leaves tipped in reddish-pink and covered in fine white fuzz, arranged in a circular rosette - Photo Courtesy of Garden SolutionsA close-up of Chick Charms® Sugar Shimmer™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), a drought-tolerant perennial with thick, pointed green leaves in a symmetrical rosette and reddish tips - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions

Chick Charms® Sugar Shimmer™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

$9.99
$9.99
A close-up of vivid purple Chrysalis Blue Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) flowers with orange centers, set among green leaves on a compact shrub - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.The Chrysalis Blue Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) is a compact shrub with vibrant purple flower spikes and lush green leaves, blooming upright outdoors in the garden - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Chrysalis Blue Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

$15.19
$18.99 $15.19
A close-up of the Chrysalis Pink Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) displays clusters of pink flowers amid green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc..A cluster of pink flowers with orange centers forms a cone on the Chrysalis Pink Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), surrounded by green leaves, making it ideal for a pollinator garden - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Chrysalis Pink Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

$15.19
$18.99 $15.19
A close-up of a vibrant Chrysalis Purple Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) flower cluster with green leaves. This pollinator-friendly plant has small, dense blossoms in a cone shape, displaying a gradient of purple shades from base to tip - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.Clusters of vibrant purple and pink blooms adorn the Chrysalis Purple Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), attracting pollinators with its cone-shaped flowers and lush green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Chrysalis Purple Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

$18.99
$18.99
A close-up of Chrysalis White Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) shows clusters of small white flowers on tall, cone-shaped spikes with green leaves, making this pollinator plant stand out against a blurred background. - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture Chrysalis White Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) features clusters of white blooms with yellow centers, surrounded by green leaves and buds—some flowers open, others in tight clusters—for a lush, vibrant pollinator-friendly display - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Chrysalis White Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

$18.99
$18.99
A close-up of vibrant Chrysalis™ Cranberry Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) flowers with tiny orange centers and blurred green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.A close-up of Chrysalis™ Cranberry Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) with purple and magenta blooms among green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Chrysalis™ Cranberry Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

$18.99
$18.99

A close-up of the vibrant, cone-shaped purple blooms with yellow centers on a Chrysalis™ Steel Blue Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), surrounded by green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.A cluster of vibrant purple Chrysalis™ Steel Blue Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) flowers with dense green leaves and elongated spikes, perfect for pollinator gardens, set against a white background - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Chrysalis™ Steel Blue Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

$15.19
$18.99 $15.19
A close-up of the Color Coded® 'Frankly Scarlet' Coneflower (Echinacea) showcases its vibrant scarlet petals and spiky, orange-green dome center against a blurred backdrop of green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Close-up of two Color Coded® 'Frankly Scarlet' Coneflowers (Echinacea) with spiky green centers and vibrant scarlet petals radiating out - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Color Coded® 'Frankly Scarlet' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99

A cluster of vibrant Color Coded® 'Knock 'Em Red' Coneflower (Echinacea) with dark orange-brown centers blooms among green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A cluster of Color Coded® 'Knock 'Em Red' Coneflower (Echinacea), a vibrant summer-blooming perennial with red petals and dark centers, grows in a garden bed amid green leaves, bordered by grass and soil - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Color Coded® 'Knock 'Em Red' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99
Close-up of Color Coded® 'One in a Melon' Coneflower (Echinacea): pale yellow blooms with dark orange centers and green stems - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A hand holds a Color Coded® 'One in a Melon' Coneflower (Echinacea) with its vibrant yellow petals and green-yellow center, set against leafy soil - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Color Coded® 'One in a Melon' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99

A cluster of Color Coded® 'Orange You Awesome' Coneflower (Echinacea) blooms outdoors, featuring dark green leaves and petals that fade from orange at the tips to pink near dark brown cone-shaped centers - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A vibrant garden bed features masses of Color Coded® 'Orange You Awesome' Coneflower (Echinacea), yellow blooms, and lush green foliage. Pink lilies and other perennials add color near a brick wall in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Color Coded® 'Orange You Awesome' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$18.99
$18.99

Close-up of Color Coded® 'The Fuchsia Is Bright' Coneflower (Echinacea) with vibrant fuchsia petals and yellow-orange centers, surrounded by green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A cluster of Color Coded® 'The Fuchsia Is Bright' Coneflower (Echinacea) with vibrant pink petals and orange centers blooms among green leaves and other flowers - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Color Coded® 'The Fuchsia Is Bright' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99

Close-up of Color Coded® 'The Price Is White' Coneflower (Echinacea) showing white petals and vibrant orange-green centers, surrounded by green leaves, soil, and softly blurred small white flowers in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up side view of Color Coded® 'The Price Is White' Coneflower (Echinacea) features white blooms with orange-brown centers and lush green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Color Coded® 'The Price Is White' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99

Three Color Coded® 'Yellow My Darling' Coneflowers (Echinacea) display green centers, long thin petals, and are surrounded by green foliage in natural light - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Color Coded® 'Yellow My Darling' Coneflower (Echinacea) features bright yellow petals, green stems and leaves, and large dark centers blooms in clusters, creating a vibrant outdoor garden display - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Color Coded® 'Yellow My Darling' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99

A close-up of Color Spires® 'Azure Snow' Perennial Salvia shows tall purple and white flowers blooming densely with green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A close-up of Color Spires® 'Azure Snow' Perennial Salvia displays its vibrant purple and white blossoms on a flowering spike, set against lush green foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Color Spires® 'Azure Snow' Perennial Salvia

$18.99
$18.99

Close-up of tall spikes of light purple and pink blooms with green leaves, Color Spires® 'Back To the Fuchsia' Perennial Salvia grows closely outdoors in natural light - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Top-down view of a dense purple flower spikes of Color Spires® 'Back To the Fuchsia' Perennial Salvia rise above green foliage in a mulched bed, with grass in the background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Color Spires® 'Back To the Fuchsia' Perennial Salvia

$18.99
$18.99

Color Spires® 'Crystal Blue' Perennial Salvia features dense clusters of light purple and lavender blooms with green leaves in a drought-tolerant garden. Pink flowers appear in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A dense cluster of tall, slender Color Spires® 'Crystal Blue' Perennial Salvia blooms rises among bright green foliage, highlighting this drought-tolerant perennial’s striking beauty in the garden - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Color Spires® 'Crystal Blue' Perennial Salvia

$15.19
$18.99 $15.19
Color Spires® 'Indiglo Girl' Perennial Salvia displays tall, leafy green stems with indigo blue blooms, adding vibrant violet hues to outdoor gardens against a lush backdrop of greenery - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Color Spires® 'Indiglo Girl' Perennial Salvia forms dense clusters of tall, vibrant indigo blue flowers and green foliage, growing closely together in gardens and serving as an excellent pollinator plant - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Color Spires® 'Indiglo Girl' Perennial Salvia

$18.99
$18.99
silver-green cotoneaster shrub adding texture to a Zone 6 garden

Choosing Zone 6 Flowers for Your Garden

When selecting zone 6 flowers, hardiness is only the starting point. Also consider sunlight, soil moisture, bloom time, mature size, and how each plant will fit into the surrounding landscape.

Perennials can help create a zone 6 flower garden that returns with fresh color and texture from year to year. Browse our perennial plants to compare options for beds, borders, and mixed plantings.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is designed to help gardeners estimate which perennial plants are most likely to survive winter in a given location, but individual growing requirements still matter.

Pink Yuki Cherry Blossom deutzia flowering in a Zone 6 garden

Add Long-Lasting Structure With Zone 6 Shrubs

Zone 6 shrubs can add height, screening, flowers, foliage color, and year-round structure. The live collection includes deciduous and evergreen choices, along with plants suited for borders, mass plantings, specimens, containers, and other landscape uses.

When planning a larger bed or foundation planting, explore our shrubs alongside other zone 6 plants. Look at mature height and width before planting so each shrub has enough room to develop naturally.

FAQs

Zone 6 is based on average annual extreme minimum winter temperatures from -10°F to 0°F. Individual varieties may differ in cold tolerance, so always check the listed hardiness range for the specific plant.

Many flowering perennials grow well in Zone 6. The best choices depend on your garden’s sunlight, moisture, bloom season, mature size, and the color or texture you want to add.

Many deciduous and evergreen shrubs are suitable for Zone 6. Choose varieties whose hardiness range includes your location, then match their sun, moisture, and mature-size requirements to your planting site.