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 a blooming SunMagic® Vintage Watermelon Coneflower (Echinacea) with a vibrant pink hue and a spiky orange center, surrounded by lush green leaves and additional coneflowers in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCA close-up of the SunMagic® Vintage Watermelon Coneflower (Echinacea) reveals its pink petals and striking orange-green center, surrounded by lush green leaves and budding flowers - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

SunMagic® Vintage Watermelon Coneflower (Echinacea)

$21.99
$21.99

Close-up of SunMagic® Vintage White Coneflower (Echinacea), a compact variety featuring white petals and yellow-green centers, set among lush green leaves and other blooms in gentle sunlight. The long, slightly curved petals are ideal for attracting pollinators, while the softly blurred background draws attention to the main flower - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClose-up of SunMagic® Vintage White Coneflower (Echinacea), a compact coneflower featuring yellow-green centers, surrounded by green leaves and buds in sunlight - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

SunMagic® Vintage White Coneflower (Echinacea)

$21.99
$34.99 $21.99

The SunMagic® Vintage Yellow Coneflower (Echinacea) displays vibrant yellow blooms that make a bold statement in the garden, attracting pollinators amid lush green foliage and emerging buds, all radiantly showcased in natural sunlight - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClose-up of a vibrant yellow SunMagic® Vintage Yellow Coneflower (Echinacea), featuring a striking green and orange center. The flower is surrounded by lush green leaves and softly blurred buds in the background. This perennial attracts pollinators and brings bold, cheerful color to any garden setting - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

SunMagic® Vintage Yellow Coneflower (Echinacea)

$21.99
$34.99 $21.99
Close-up of Sunny Boulevard® St. John's Wort (Hypericum) with bright yellow flowers and long stamens, surrounded by green leaves and buds. This shrub displays vibrant clusters against lush foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of Sunny Boulevard® St. John's Wort (Hypericum) features bright yellow flowers with bushy stamens, lush green leaves, and unopened buds - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Sunny Boulevard® St. John's Wort (Hypericum)

$21.99
$21.99

Close-up of vivid purple, spiky, spherical blooms with long petals and stamens stand out against lush green foliage on Sunshine Blue® II Bluebeard (Caryopteris) - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Dense green foliage and clusters of small purple flowers bloom on tall stems. Sunshine Blue® II Bluebeard (Caryopteris) flowering shrub shown surrounded by sunlight and a softly blurred natural background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Sunshine Blue® II Bluebeard (Caryopteris)

$22.99
$22.99

A vibrant cluster of Superbena® Pink Shades Verbena combines fresh pink blooms with lush green leaves, creating a lively, long-blooming springtime display. Yellow and dark violet blooms are in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A large, round ceramic pot filled with vibrant Superbena® Pink Shades Verbena, showcasing striking magenta-pink, long-blooming flowers and lush green leaves peeking through the dense clusters of blossoms - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Superbena® Pink Shades Verbena

$10.99
$10.99
Five vibrant orange Supreme™ 'Cantaloupe' Coneflower (Echinacea) perennials bloom among green leaves and scattered purple flowers in a garden - Photo Courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.Five orange Supreme™ 'Cantaloupe' Coneflowers (Echinacea) with spiky centers bloom among green leaves and purple flowers, creating a vibrant garden display - Photo Courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.

Supreme™ 'Cantaloupe' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias), a native perennial features clusters of deep pink flowers in the garden with blurred trees and a red-roofed building in the background - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias)

$17.99
$17.99
Close-up of Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca), an evergreen shrub with clusters of small, white star-shaped flowers with pink tips amid glossy green leaves. Dense blooms adorn this shade-loving plant’s vibrant foliage. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Top-down view of the The Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca) with dense, pointed green leaves in a white container, set outdoors on concrete with other plants in the background. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca)

$21.99
$21.99

Sweet Autumn Clematis features clusters of fragrant, small star-shaped white flowers with lush green leaves. Sunlight highlights its delicate petals - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Sweet Autumn Clematis features fragrant white flower clusters and green leaves, thrives in sunlight near fences - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

$20.99
$20.99

A close-up of small, fragrant white and pale pink flowers on a Sweet Emotion Blaze® Abelia shrub, surrounded by green leaves with a softly blurred background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A cluster of small, fragrant white flowers with green leaves of Sweet Emotion Blaze® Abelia stands out in the foreground, contrasted by vibrant red color in the blurred background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Sweet Emotion Blaze® Abelia

$22.99
$40.99 $22.99

Close-up of vibrant pink and salmon hues on Sweet Reward® Coral Azalea (Rhododendron) with ruffled petals and yellow centers, surrounded by green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A blooming garden features clusters of bright pink and orange flowers, including the Sweet Reward® Coral Azalea (Rhododendron) in the foreground. Purple flowers bloom behind, amid green leaves and mulch - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Sweet Reward® Coral Azalea (Rhododendron)

$22.99
$22.99
Close-up of Sweet Reward® Pink Azalea (Rhododendron) flowers, displaying bright pink petals with yellow centers and long stamens, set among green leaves and blurred branches in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.The Sweet Reward® Pink Azalea (Rhododendron) displays clusters of pink and yellow flowers in a mulched garden bed, surrounded by lush green foliage and bordered by a grassy area - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Sweet Reward® Pink Azalea (Rhododendron)

$22.99
$40.99 $22.99

Close-up of blooming Sweet Romance® Lavender (Lavandula) with vibrant purple petals, set against green foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of a dense patch of Sweet Romance® Lavender (Lavandula), showing clusters of small purple flowers and green stems for a vibrant, textured look - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Sweet Romance® Lavender (Lavandula)

$17.99
$17.99

Taiga Clematis features purple and white spiky flowers with pointed petals and lush green leaves. The double blooms open in stages, adding dynamic texture - Photo Courtesy of Donahue's Clematis

Taiga Clematis

$20.99
$20.99

Bright purple, bell-shaped flowers of the Takion Blue Bellflower (Campanula) bloom among green foliage, with a large rock in front and leafy bushes behind - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.The Takion Blue Bellflower (Campanula) with vibrant purple bell-shaped blooms and slender green leaves in a mulched bed with a blurred fence in the background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Takion Blue Bellflower (Campanula)

$17.99
$17.99

Takion White Bellflower (Campanula) blooms among green leaves and purple foliage, with blurred grass and flowers behind it - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Close-up of several Takion White Bellflower (Campanula), a perennial with white bell-shaped flowers and light green stems, blooming among other buds and blurred foliage in a garden or greenhouse - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Takion White Bellflower (Campanula)

$17.99
$17.99
A dense cluster of green leafy plants, including Golden Clematis—a yellow flowering vine with lantern-shaped blooms and fluffy white seed heads—creates a textured, colorful scene - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Golden Clematis features dense green foliage with yellow, lantern-shaped flower buds and fluffy white seed heads - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Tangutica Clematis

$20.99
$20.99

A cluster of unripe and ripe Taste of Heaven® Thornless blackberry (Rubus) berries grows on a bush with large green leaves. Wood chips and dry leaves cover the ground - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of unripe Taste of Heaven® Thornless blackberry (Rubus) on a bush with green leaves and blurred background. The red berries are not yet fully matured - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Taste of Heaven® Thornless blackberry (Rubus)

$22.99
$22.99
The Tater Tot® Arborvitae (Thuja) is a compact, round evergreen shrub with dense, needle-like foliage, thriving in mulch-covered soil in an outdoor garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Top-down view of the Tater Tot® Arborvitae (Thuja) a dense, round evergreen shrub with bright green foliage that thrives in a garden bed mulched and dotted with fallen brown leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Tater Tot® Arborvitae (Thuja)

$22.99
$40.99 $22.99

Close-up of clusters of vibrant pinkish-red flowers bloom on green stems of the Temple of Bloom® Seven Son Flower (Heptacodium), a striking flowering shrub, set against a blurred outdoor background of grass and foliage. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. The Temple of Bloom® Seven Son Flower (Heptacodium) is a leafy shrub with shiny green leaves and clusters of small pink flowers, brightening sunny gardens and creating soft shadows on the grass. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Temple of Bloom® Seven Son Flower (Heptacodium)

$23.99
$23.99

A close-up of the vibrant The Duchess of Cornwall™ Clematis, showing large purple petals and a spiky pale yellow center among green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Donahue's Clematis

The Duchess of Cornwall™ Clematis

$20.99
$20.99

Clusters of light pink Tiny Quick Fire® Panicle Hydrangea blooms stand out above green leaves, each petal highlighted by sunlight and set against a softly blurred backdrop of soil and foliage. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Top-down view of the Tiny Quick Fire® Panicle Hydrangea is a compact flowering shrub with pale green and white blooms, touched with pink, that thrives in a mulched garden bed edged by green grass. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Tiny Quick Fire® Panicle Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99
Clusters of pink and pale purple blooms adorn the Tiny Tuff Stuff™ Mountain Hydrangea, a compact reblooming shrub. Its green foliage frames both budding and open flowers, bringing texture and vibrant color to any garden. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClusters of Tiny Tuff Stuff™ Mountain Hydrangea blooms in pale pink, light purple, and soft blue appear among green leaves and buds on this compact, reblooming shrub. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Tiny Tuff Stuff™ Mountian Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

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.