USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6

Some examples of plants that prosper in Zone 6 include:
Trees
Deciduous
Shade in summer and unparalleled fall foliage can be found on these trees:
• Autumn Blaze Maple (Acer freemanii 'Jeffersred') – truly setting the landscape ablaze in autumn with its colorful foliage, Autumn Blaze is also a fast-growing maple
• Autumn Purple Ash (Fraxinus americana 'Autumn Purple') – a unique color combination of yellow and purple on its fall leaves sets Autumn Purple Ash apart from other trees
• Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) – the large, orange-and-yellow, tulip-shaped flowers attract butterflies
Evergreen
Zone 6 evergreens have needled or broad leaves, such as:
• Thuja Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja standishii x plicata 'Green Giant') – this award-winning tree is disease-resistant with a full skirt of branches that touch the ground
• Skyrocket Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket') – blue-green foliage and narrow growth give Skyrocket Juniper a colorful and textural interest that's suitable for even small yards
• Little Gem Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem') – a smaller replica of its larger Southern Magnolia relative, Little Gem has broad, glossy leaves and fragrant, white, cup-shaped flowers
Flowering
These flowering trees enhance any Zone 6 landscape design:
• Rising Sun Redbud (Cercis canadensis 'JN2' Rising Sun) – stunning fuchsia flowers bloom before the multicolored green-and-yellow heart-shaped leaves appear on these trees
• Cleveland Pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Cleveland Select') – an improvement over the structurally challenged Bradford Pear, Cleveland Select is sturdier
• Cherokee Brave Dogwood (Cornus florida 'Comco No. 1' Cherokee Brave) – a red-flowering version of the native white dogwood
Shrubs with Evergreen Foliage
These evergreen shrubs are suitable for smaller yards or tight garden spots:
• Sky Pencil Holly (Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil') – a design choice for narrow spaces or framing the entrance to your home, Sky Pencil Holly has small, rounded leaves with no stickers
• Hetz Midget Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget') – a small and rounded thuja shrub
• Dwarf Hinoki Cypress (Chamacyperis obtuse 'Nana') – compact shape and dense growth with soft-needled leaves that are dark-green with light-green accents
Flowering Shrubs
Choose these shrubs to add bursts of color from spring through summer:
• Endless Summer Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer') – when the blooming begins in summer, it continues throughout the growing season, producing large, rounded flower heads
• April Snow Camellia (Camellia japonica 'April Snow') – an exceptionally cold-hardy camellia that has pure-white flowers
• Encore Azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) – you'll enjoy a second round of flowers on these repeat-bloomers; colors include pink, white, red, purple and coral
Roses
Beautiful in the garden or cut as flowers to fill vases in your home, all these roses are disease-resistant and they don't need dead-heading to continue flowering:
• Oso Easy Rose (Rosa x Oso Easy®) – single- or double-flowering plants in colors that include yellow, orange, red and pink
• Drift Roses (Rosa 'Apricot Drift') – you'll enjoy a carpet of color with these groundcover roses that spread along the ground
• Knock Out Rose (Rosa x Knock Out®) – plant a row of Knock Out Roses for a season-long flowering hedge
Fruits
Apples – try these dwarf versions of the same-named standard sizes:
• Dwarf Red Delicious Apple (Malus domestica 'Red Delicious') – a classic snacking apple that's crisp and sweet (plant another apple tree nearby for cross-pollination)
• Dwarf Granny Smith Apple (Malus domestica 'Granny Smith') – these hold their flavor without becoming mushy as a baking apple (grow another apple tree as a pollinator helper for the flowers)
Cherries
• Stella Cherry Tree (Prunus avium 'Stella') – versatile cherry that's good for snacking, baking or canning
• 4-in-1 Cherry Tree (Prunus spp. 'Stella,' 'Black Tartarian,' 'Bing,' 'Royal Ann') – if you can't decide which cherry you'd like to plant, grow this grafted tree and sample four different varieties
Peaches
• Contender Peach (Prunus persica 'Contender') – cold-hardy and prolific
• Harvester Peach (Prunus persica 'Harvester') – a freestone peach with high yields
Plums
• Methley Plum (Prunus salicina) – covered with beautiful flowers in spring and sweet plums in summer
• Santa Rosa Plum (Prunus salicina) – consistent flavor and high yields
Berries
Zone 6 gardeners can grow different types of berries, including:
• Sweetheart Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Sweetheart') – you'll harvest two crops each year
• Heritage Raspberry (Rubus idaeus 'Heritage') – easy to grow, low-maintenance with large red berries
• Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry (Rubus 'Triple Crown') – no thorns makes harvesting quicker and safer