Perennial Flowers: Zone 6 Picks for Vibrant Blooms and Gorgeous Greenery Year After Year

Perennials are plants that return each year after a period of winter dormancy. Unlike annuals, they come back each growing season. It’s important to know your USDA growing zone before choosing perennials.

Those that aren’t hardy in your zone will die and grow only as annuals in summer. Fortunately, when it comes to perennial flowers, zone 6 gives you a lot of options.

USDA zone 6 is defined by its average annual extreme minimum winter temperatures, which range between -10 and 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-23.3 and -17.8 Celsius). Zone 6 perennials are hardy in these areas where the temperature can potentially get so low. They’ll go dormant for winter and return in spring to grow and bloom again.

Like other zones, 6 does not fit a neat area defined by state boundaries. It includes:

• Areas of southern New England
• Large areas of northern Pennsylvania and West Virginia
• Most of southern Michigan, central Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas
• Patchy areas of Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, the Pacific Northwest, and southern Alaska

Zone 6 is known for its distinct four seasons, cold winters, and hot summers. The frost-free period is usually between mid-May and mid-October. The changing seasons and transition from cool spring to hot summer and cool fall allow gardeners to grow a variety of plants.

Zone 6 Perennials

Perennial plants for zone 6 are varied and abundant. If you garden in this zone, consider yourself lucky. You have a lot of options, and the best of both worlds with a growing season that encompasses both cool and hot weather.

1. Hosta

This perennial favorite perennial (ha!) is known for its foliage, although it also blooms in summer with stalks of small, hanging flowers in white, light purple, or pink. Hosta is popular for its leaves, which can range from deep green-blue to light yellow-green, and variegated, depending on the variety, but also for its ability to grow in even deep shade. The darker the foliage color, the more shade it can tolerate.

Grow hosta plants in full or partial shade, in soil that is slightly acidic, remains moist, and drains well. Use hostas as borders, large specimens in beds, or for the smaller varieties, as ground cover. 'Blue Mouse Ear' hostas are cute and small and can be purchased from Wayside Gardens.

2. Bee Balm

Bee balm, or wild bergamot, is a native perennial with summer and fall flowers that attract pollinators. Dwarf varieties are as small as ten inches (25 cm), while standard varieties can be up to four feet (1.2 m) tall. The pretty flowers come in shades of red, purple, pink, and white.

Bee balm is low-maintenance. Give it a spot with full sun for the most flowers and soil that drains well. Water only when the soil dries out. Bee balm is a great companion for vegetable gardens. Find a great selection of bee balm plants from the Home Depot.

3. Coneflower

Another native perennial ideal for zone 6 is coneflower. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is the most common, but you can find many varieties and hybrids of Echinacea in colors ranging from yellow to red to white and even green. Coneflowers attract pollinators and feed birds if you leave the seedheads in place.

Coneflowers grow up to five feet (1.6 m) tall and bloom best in full sun. They make excellent specimens in beds or as part of a native wildflower garden. The soil should drain well and be slightly acidic. While they benefit from regular watering, coneflowers can tolerate some drought conditions. Find an established purple coneflower plant from Nature Hills Nursery.

4. Sedum

Also known as stonecrop, sedum is a big genus of plants with a lot of options for flowering perennials that are hardy in zone 6. They are succulents with fleshy leaves that tolerate drought and bloom in late summer and fall with flat-topped clusters of tiny flowers in pink, lavender, red, and white. One unique and popular variety, ‘Autumn Joy,’ blooms pink and turns rust red in fall.

You can find sedums that grow up to two feet (0.6 m) tall and short varieties that only reach six inches (15 cm). Provide sedum plants with full sun or a little shade, loose, well-drained soil, and minimal watering once established. Find sedum 'Autumn Joy' from Garden Goods Direct.

5. Daylilies

The daylily is popular throughout its hardiness zones for good reasons. It produces an abundance of bright flowers among striking and dense foliage, and it is easy to care for. Each flower only lasts for a day, but the plants keep blooming in shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, or pink for weeks or months, depending on the variety.

Grow daylilies in full sun and in loamy, fertile soil. They will tolerate some shade and poor soil, but these aren’t the most ideal growing conditions. Once established, you shouldn’t have to water daylilies unless you are going through a dry spell. 'Fragrant Returns', available from Wayside Gardens, is a gorgeous lemon yellow hybrid variety.

6. Asters

If you like daisies, consider growing one of the many varieties of aster that do well in zone 6. Asters are native and bloom in late summer and fall. They are often displayed in stores in the fall, but these are long-lived perennials you can put in the ground and enjoy year after year. Depending on the type, you can find asters in blue, pink, white, or purple and in heights ranging from one to 6 feet (0.3 to 1.8 m).

Full sun is best for asters, as shade can make them lanky and floppy. The soil should be slightly acidic and loamy. Water as needed to keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy. Find New England aster seeds from Eden Brothers Nursery on Amazon.

7. Coreopsis

Also known as tickseed, one of the benefits of coreopsis is its long bloom time. You can enjoy cheerful, daisy-like flowers from late summer right up to the first frost in zone 6. With more than 80 varieties, you have options in terms of size, flower color, and even foliage texture.

With the right conditions, coreopsis plants are very low-maintenance. They do best in full sun and loamy or sandy soil that drains very well. Water coreopsis plants until they are established. After that, they will tolerate droughts fairly well. To keep it blooming, deadhead your coreopsis as the flowers fade. Find a 5-pack of cheery coreopsis at Lowe's.

8. Ferns

Not all zone 6 perennials are noted for their flowers. Ferns are non-flowering perennials grown for their unique, feathery foliage. Another good reason to choose ferns is that they grow well in shade. Some types will even thrive in deep shade.

You can find a huge variety of ferns, from tiny ground covers to majestic specimens. Some good choices for zone 6 include ostrich fern, lady fern, maidenhair fern, and Japanese painted fern. Plant ferns in shady spots with soil that won’t dry out. Find ostrich ferns from Native Wildflowers Nursery.

9. American Wisteria

For a flowering vine in zone 6, consider American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens). Often overlooked for the Japanese or Chinese types, American wisteria is native and much less aggressive than its non-native counterparts. This vine, which blooms with gorgeous clusters of blue or purple flowers in early summer, can grow up to 40 feet (12 m) tall.

Choose a spot with partial shade for an American wisteria vine. The soil should be moist but also drain well. Be sure you have something sturdy for it to climb. The benefits of American wisteria as compared to the other types are that it is native, smaller, and doesn’t require as much pruning. Find 'Amethyst Falls' American wisteria from Fast Growing Trees.