Top 25 Picks for Zone 6 Plants from Proven Winners

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The temperate climate of Zone 6 allows for a wide range of planting options. USDA Zone 6 falls in the middle of the hardiness scale, with sub-zones 6a and 6b. These areas experience cold winters and warm summers, with a growing season of around 180 days. The average minimum winter temperature ranges between 0 to -10 degrees F. Zone 6 includes southern New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in the eastern US, the mid-Atlantic region, central Midwest, temperate areas of the Southwest, and mountainous or high desert regions in the Pacific Northwest.

Garden plants are rated for hardiness using the USDA zone scale. Plants hardy to Zone 6 or higher can survive most winters here. When selecting plants, consider regional differences, microclimates, and other growing conditions. Here are some of the best options for Zone 6.

1. Arborvitae North Pole® Thuja occidentalis Zones:  3-8 Height:  10’ - 15’ Spread:  3’ - 5’  Arborvitae is a common landscape plant, and is one of the best evergreen plants for Zone 6. This tree or shrub occurs in a wide range of sizes, shapes and colors, providing structure and background interest to beds, borders and containers. North Pole® has a slender upright habit useful for small spaces, as hedging or privacy screening.

2. Aronia Low Scape Mound® Aronia melanocarpa Zones: 3-9 Height: 18” - 3’ Spread: 18” - 3’  Also known as chokeberry, this deciduous shrub produces finely toothed green leaves, white flowers, red or black berries, and colorful fall foliage for multi-seasonal appeal. Low Scape Mound® has a low spreading habit, dark purple fruit, and brilliant red fall color. This petite variety can be used as edging, in mass plantings, or containers.

3. Boxwood Sprinter® Buxus microphylla Zones:  5-9 Height:  2’ - 4’ Spread:  2’ - 4’  Boxwood is a common broadleaf evergreen that lends structure to beds and borders. One of the most versatile Zone 6 shrubs, boxwood is highly amenable to shearing into formal hedging and topiaries. Sprinter® has a dense growth habit and compact rounded shape. Use this quick-growing variety as edging, in containers, or as a low-growing hedge.

4. Butterfly Bush 'Miss Molly' Buddleia x Zones: 5-9 Height: 4’ - 5’ Spread: 4’ - 5’  One of the best landscape plants for attracting butterflies and other insect pollinators, this deciduous shrub produces colorful flower spikes during summer and fall. ‘Miss Molly’ is a non-invasive variety with pink-red blooms and a compact habit suitable for smaller spaces. Plant butterfly bush in a mixed border, wildlife-friendly landscape, or foundation planting.

5. Catmint ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ Nepeta hybrid Zones: 3-8 Height: 12” - 14” Spread: 18” - 20”  Catmint is one of the best perennial plants for Zone 6, with exceptional hardiness and tolerance of different growing conditions. Lavender-blue flower spikes are produced from late spring to fall. ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ is a dwarf variety with vivid indigo-blue flowers and a low-spreading habit that is useful for mass plantings or small spaces.

6. Coral Bells Primo® ‘Wild Rose’ Heuchera hybrid Zones: 4-9 Height: 8” - 10” Spread: 18” - 20”  Grown for the colorful foliage, coral bells are tolerant of a wide variety of conditions from full sun to shade, making them especially versatile in the landscape. With vivid, rosy-purple leaves and a spreading habit, Primo® ‘Wild Rose’ adds bright color to containers and mixed borders. Use as edging, or in mass plantings.

7. Deutzia Yuki Cherry Blossom® Deutzia x Zones: 5-8 Height: 12” - 2’ Spread: 12” - 2’  Deutzia is a deciduous shrub with attractive foliage, bell-shaped flowers, and fall color for multi-seasonal interest. Plants are shade tolerant and virtually carefree. Yuki Cherry Blossom produces elegant pink flowers and burgundy fall color, with a low-mounding habit suitable as a ground cover, or in mass plantings.

8. Elderberry Black Lace® Sambucus nigra Zones: 4-7 Height: 6’ - 8’ Spread: 6’ - 8’  Elderberry is a deciduous shrub with ferny foliage, flat-topped flowers and edible berries for season-long color. The finely cut purple-black foliage of Black Lace® provides a backdrop to the pale-pink flowers for striking contrast. Plant in a mixed border, native garden, or use as a showy focal point.

9. Inkberry Holly Gem Box® Ilex glabra Zones: 5-9 Height: 2’ - 3’ Spread: 2’ - 3’  This broadleaf evergreen shrub adds year-round color and structure to the landscape. Inkberry holly produces small, oval green leaves with a similar appearance to boxwood. The dense rounded habit of Gem Box® is versatile as low hedging, in containers, or mass plantings. Plants are resistant to winter damage.

10. Hosta Shadowland® ‘Autumn Frost’ Hosta hybrid Zones: 3-9 Height: 12” Spread: 2’  One of the most popular shade perennials, hosta is grown for the decorative foliage in different colors, shapes and sizes. Shadowland® ‘Autumn Frost’ has frosty blue leaves with a wide yellow margin that fades to creamy white for stunning contrast. Use to brighten up a woodland garden, mixed border, or as a showy focal point.

11. Bigleaf Hydrangea Wee Bit Grumpy® Hydrangea macrophylla Zones: 5-9 Height: 2’ Spread: 2’6”  One of the most popular landscape plants, bigleaf hydrangea is revered for the large showy flower panicles and summer-long color. This deciduous shrub is versatile in mixed borders and foundation plantings. Wee Bit Grumpy® produces deep-purple flowers, with a dwarf stature that is useful for small spaces and containers.

12. Mountain Hydrangea Tuff Stuff™ Hydrangea serrata Zones: 9-11 Height: 3’ - 6’ Spread: 18” - 3’  Mountain hydrangea is hardier and more resilient than bigleaf hydrangea, characterized by elegant lacecap flowers and a compact stature. The pink or purple blooms of Tuff Stuff™ appear in early summer, with some rebloom into fall. Use this smaller variety in a mixed border, foundation planting, or as a showy specimen.

13. Panicle Hydrangea Little Lime® Hydrangea paniculata Zones: 3-8 Height: 3’ - 5’ Spread: 3’ - 5’  This deciduous shrub is the hardiest hydrangea type, with cone-shaped flowers that provide late-season color. The dwarf stature of Little Lime® is useful for small spaces, containers and hedging. Held on upright sturdy stems, the lime-green flowers age to pink for long-lasting color.

14. Smooth Hydrangea Invincibelle Limetta® Hydrangea arborescens Zones: 3-8 Height: 3’ - 4’ Spread: 3’ - 4’  Native to the US, smooth hydrangea is a deciduous shrub with exceptional winter hardiness and oversized globe-shaped flowers in summer and fall. The blooms of Invincibelle Limetta® are an elegant lime green, pairing well with most other colors. The dwarf rounded habit is versatile as hedging, in shrub borders, or mixed plantings.

15. Lavender Sweet Romance® Lavandula angustifolia Zones: 5-9 Height: 12” - 18” Spread: 12” - 18”  One of the most popular garden herbs, lavender produces scented foliage and flower spikes with an array of culinary, medicinal, and ornamental uses. Sweet Romance® is a petite variety with silvery green foliage, vivid lavender-blue flowers, and a dense, mounding habit. Use in containers, mass plantings, or to edge pathways and borders.

16. Lilac Scentara® Double Blue Syringa x hyacinthiflora Zones: 2-8 Height: 6’ - 8’ Spread: 6’ - 8’  Lilac is one of the most beloved spring-blooming shrubs, with showy flower panicles and intense fragrance. This carefree plant can be grown in shrub borders, woodland gardens, or as hedging. Scentara® Double Blue produces some of the most heavily scented blooms, with intricate seashell-like petals for a delicate effect.

17. Ninebark Ginger Wine® Physocarpus opulifolius Zones: 3-7 Height: 5’ - 6’ Spread: 5’ - 6’  Native to North America, ninebark is a deciduous shrub with colorful foliage, spring-blooming flowers, showy seed heads, and exfoliating bark for year-round interest. The orange leaves of Ginger Wine® mature to burgundy, with clusters of white flowers and red seed heads. The medium size is versatile in foundation plantings, mixed borders, and native landscapes.

18. Red-Osier Dogwood Arctic Fire® Red Cornus sericea Zones: 2-7 Height: 3’ - 5’ Spread: 3’ - 5’  One of the best shrubs for winter interest, red-osier dogwood has deciduous foliage, spring flowers, decorative berries, and colorful winter stems for year-round appeal. The brilliant red stems of Arctic Fire® Red are most pronounced in sunlight against a blanket of white snow. The dwarf stature is useful in smaller spaces, containers, and winter gardens.

19. Rose At Last® Rosa x Zones: 5-9 Height: 2’6” - 3’ Spread: 2’6” - 3’  Roses are one of the most popular landscape plants, with romantic blooms and timeless elegance. At Last® combines the characteristics of fragrant, full-petaled tea roses with the disease-resistance of landscape roses. Sunset-orange blossoms are produced on vigorous plants from late spring until fall. The dwarf habit is suitable for small spaces, containers, and mass plantings.

20. Rose of Sharon Blue Chiffon® Hibiscus syriacus Zones: 5-9 Height: 8’ - 12’ Spread: 6’ - 10’  The tropical appearance belies the hardiness of this deciduous shrub, with showy trumpet-shaped flowers and attractive serrated foliage. The delicate flowers of Blue Chiffon® are an unusual shade of blue, with a lacy center that creates an anemone-like appearance. Plant as privacy screening, or as a background plant in a mixed border.

21. Russian Sage ‘Denim ’n Lace' Perovskia atriplicifolia Zones: 4-9 Height: 2’4” - 2’8” Spread: 2’10” - 3’2”  With long-lasting blue flower spires and soft silvery-green foliage, Russian sage is one of the most undemanding and carefree perennials. ‘Denim ’n Lace’ has an improved form, with a compact upright habit and flowers produced on sturdy stems that won’t flop. Plant in a mixed border, waterwise landscape, or mass along a slope.

22. Spike Speedwell Magic Show® ‘Wizard of Ahhs’ Veronica hybrid Zones: 4-8 Height: 14” - 16” Spread: 18” - 22”  Speedwell is a carefree perennial with colorful flowers and an upright or ground cover habit. The violet-blue flower spikes of Magic Show® ‘Wizard of Ahhs’ are produced on compact clumping plants, making it more resistant to flopping. One of the best Zone 6 flowers, use speedwell in mixed borders, mass plantings, or containers.

23. Spirea Double Play® Candy Corn® Spiraea japonica Zones: 4-8 Height: 18” - 2’ Spread: 18” - 2’6”  This popular landscape shrub produces colorful foliage and flat-topped flowers on virtually maintenance-free plants. The leaves of Double Play® Candy Corn® emerge apple-red and orange, maturing to pineapple-yellow. Dark-purple flowers provide dramatic contrast. Plant in a shrub border, foundation planting, or use as a showy focal point.

24. Weigela Spilled Wine® Weigela florida Zones: 4-8 Height: 2’ - 3’ Spread: 3’ - 4’  One of the easiest shrubs to grow, weigela produces colorful foliage and prolific clusters of tubular flowers in spring. The deep-purple leaves of Spilled Wine® provide a stunning backdrop to the pink flowers. The dwarf habit is suitable for small spaces. Use in a foundation planting, mixed border, or mass in the landscape.

25. Winterberry Berry Poppins® Ilex verticillata Zones: 3-9 Height: 3’ - 4’ Spread: 3’ - 4’  Winterberry is a hardy deciduous shrub with large green leaves and showy red berries that hold on through fall and winter. The dwarf stature of Berry Poppins® is suitable for small spaces and containers. Plant in a shrub border or winter garden, and use cut branches in holiday arrangements.

FAQs

What is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map?

One of the most essential information tools for US gardeners is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) the map divides regions of the US into hardiness zones based on average annual minimum winter temperatures. Zones rank from 1 being the coldest, to 13 being the warmest. This measurement does not take into account other factors such as high temperatures, rainfall, humidity, soil, or microclimates created by elevation, light exposure, proximity to bodies of water or structures.

What does Zone 6 mean for plants?

The USDA Hardiness Zone Map illustrates the average annual minimum winter temperature for different regions in the US. Each zone is measured in 10-degree F intervals, with sub-zones of “a” and “b” measured in 5-degree F increments. The average minimum winter temperature for Zone 6a is -5 to -10 degrees F. For Zone 6b, the average is -5 to 0 degrees F. The USDA map was updated in 2023, and is based on the previous 30 years.

What grows best in hardiness Zone 6?

Plants that grow in Zone 6 will survive average minimum winter temperatures for zone 6 or higher. Common plants that grow best in Zone 6 include regional natives, as they are already adapted to local growing conditions.

When to plant in Zone 6?

The average last frost-free date in Zone 6 is between late March and late April, with the first frost occurring between late September and late October. The best time to plant is in spring after all danger of frost is past, as this allows an entire growing season for plant roots to become established. Planting can also be done in late summer to early fall, no later than 6 to 8 weeks before the average first frost date in your area.

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