If you’re looking for trees for Zone 6 to add life to your garden you are in the right place.
From rapid growing trees to trees that provide shade, fruit or flowers, there is something for everybody on this list.
Since you already know your USDA planting zone, here are some of the best zone 6 trees for your garden or landscape.
15 USDA Zone 6 Trees to Plant Today
1. Fat Albert Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens ‘Fat Albert’)
If you’re looking for a ‘Christmassy feel’ all year round, you can’t go wrong with Fat Albert Spruce! Standing smart in landscapes and gardens around PA, GA, and MD, this tree infuses a festive look all year-round!
This evergreen tree requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily) and moist, well-draining soils to thrive.
They’re cold, hardy, and somewhat drought-tolerant, but you’ll need to give them extra water during hot summer days.
Their prickly needle-like leaves boast a pretty blue-green shade that infuses life even during the bland white winters!
The Fat Albert Colorado Blue Spruce is a non-flowering tree that does an incredible job of being the focal point of your yard. Pair this accent tree with other flowering shrubs for a pop of color.
While this type of spruce tree is deer and rabbit-resistant, it can fall prey to aphids, needle cast, canker, and rust. You may also want to keep an eye out for spider mites to prevent a nasty invasion.
You’ll need at least 30 feet of available space in your garden to plant this beauty. Pair it up with perennials such as purple coneflowers or betony to complement Fat Albert Spruce’s perfect cone growth!
- Other Common Names: Blue Spruce, Colorado Spruce, Fat Albert Spruce
- Growing Zones: 2-8
- Average Size at Maturity: 30-40 ft tall, 15-20 ft wide
2. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
Growing in most parts of GA, the Sugar Maple is a sight to behold in the fall. The sugar maple is famous for its sap used to make maple syrup. But that’s not the only reason you want to plant this beauty in your yard.
The Sugar Maple requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily), partial shade, and well-draining loamy soils with high organic content to thrive.
In the fall, this tree’s lush green foliage turns sunset shades and boasts a combination of reds, golds, and orange shades – the ultimate shade of that perfect maple leaf.
A single maple tree can produce anywhere between five and 60 liters of sap every year that, after boiling, makes one liter of syrup! So, if you absolutely love maple syrup, you know how many Sugar Maple trees you need to keep you loaded all year!
The Sugar Maple attracts butterflies, bees, and other beneficial pollinators to your garden. And while it’s relatively disease-free, it can fall prey to aphids, borers, cankers, leaf spots, and wilt, among other infections.
Also, since many types of maple trees have aggressive roots, don’t grow them too close to immovable structures, overhead utility lines, or underground pipelines to avoid damage and significant repair costs.
- Other Common Names: Hard Maple, Leucoderme, Northern Sugar Maple, Sugar Maple
- Growing Zones: 3-8
- Average Size at Maturity: 55-75 ft tall, 30-50 ft wide
3. Ginkgo Biloba (Ginkgo Biloba)
Standing pretty in most parts of MD, PA, and GA, the Ginkgo is a sight to behold in the fall. Native to China, the Ginkgo requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily) and loamy, well-draining soils to thrive.
Known as the tree that outlived dinosaurs, the Ginkgo biloba was listed as an endangered species in 1998. So, by planting this, not only do you help increase its population, but you also beautify your landscape!
This tree can reach 130 feet in height at maturity in ideal conditions! The female variety produces fruit that emits rancid smells, whereas the male type doesn’t bear fruit, making it less messy than its female counterpart.
In the fall, the Ginkgo shines bright sunshine yellow before other trees change foliage color! If you’re lucky, you may be able to notice how the tree’s leathery green foliage turns bright yellow.
You’ll need between 24 and 60 feet of available space to plant this beauty in your garden. The seeds that the female Ginkgo produce are toxic to humans and shouldn’t be consumed.
Accidental consumption can cause skin irritation, stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Plant this accent tree in your yard to remind you of the beauty of time!
- Other Common Names: Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree
- Growing Zones: 3-9
- Average Size at Maturity: 50-80 ft tall, 30-40 ft wide
4. Thuja Green Giant (Thuja standishii x plicata ‘Green Giant’)
Shielding landscapes around WI and GA, the Thuja Green Giant is one of the best privacy trees for Zone 6 dwellers. It provides shade and privacy and is also a fast-growing tree with a growth rate of three to five feet a year!
The Thuja Giant requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily), partial shade, and loamy soils with high organic content.
This tree was developed in the 1930s in Denmark, but it was only in 1967 that it was introduced to the USA. The Thuja Giant is drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, and relatively pest-free.
In the winter, the tree’s light green, needle-like leaves turn a deep, bronzer shade while staying true to its natural origins. Think of it as a giant Christmas tree growing right in your backyard!
You’ll need 25 – 30 feet of available space to grow this beauty in your garden, and since it can withstand heavy rains and snowfall, it works great as a windbreak around other delicate trees.
While this tree is reasonably disease-free, it can fall prey to bagworms and root rot from frequent standing water. The Thuja Green Giant is toxic to grazing animals, including horses, cattle, and sheep.
- Other Common Names: Western Red Cedar, Pacific Red Cedar, Giant Arborvitae, Western Arborvitae, Shinglewood, Giant Cedar, Green Giant Arborvitae
- Growing Zones: 5-9
- Average Size at Maturity: 50-60 ft tall, 12-20 ft wide
5. Autumn Blaze Red Maple Tree (Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’)
Paint your neighborhood red to let them know fall has arrived! The Autumn Blaze Red Maple is famous for its fiery red foliage that you’re bound to see from miles away.
Dotting GA, PA, and MD gardens, the Autumn Blaze Red Maple requires full sun (at least six hours or more), partial shade, and moist, well-draining soils to thrive.
Discovered by Glenn Jeffers in the 1960s, this tree grows ‘leaps and bounds’ every year! When fall rolls by, the tree’s leaves change color. They go from glossy green to a mix of red, orange, and burgundy, lighting up the entire landscape!
You’ll need 40 – 60 feet of available space to plant this tree in your backyard. The Autumn Blaze Red Maple is deer-resistant and cold-hardy but not very drought-tolerant.
This means when it’s too hot outside, you’d need to water it more frequently. However, be careful not to overwater it, as frequent standing water can cause root rot.
A cross between Red Maple (Acer rubrum) and Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum), the Autumn Blaze Red is relatively pest-free, but it may fall prey to leaf hoppers, borers, and scale. Pair your Autumn Blaze Red Maple with geraniums, hostas, or coralbells for a contrasting pop of color!
- Other Common Names: Freeman maple, Freeman’s maple
- Growing Zones: 3-8
- Average Size at Maturity: 45-70 ft tall, 35-50 ft wide
6. Ivory Silk Lilac Tree (Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’)
If you’re looking for a trouble-free Lilac tree, you can’t go wrong with Ivory Silk. Decorating landscapes around PA and NY, this privacy tree is a perfect addition to your patio.
Native to Japan, the Ivory Silk Lilac requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily) and well-draining and slightly acidic loamy soils with high organic matter to thrive. If you want it ‘to snow’ in summer, this tree won’t let you down!
In summer, the tree adorns its branches with panicles of beautiful creamy-white flowers that look like snowballs in the middle of a hot afternoon!
These fragrant white flowers create a stunning contrast against the tree’s lustrous reddish-brown bark, all while attracting beneficial pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds to your garden.
In 1996, this tree received a Gold Medal Award from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Since this cold-hardy tree isn’t very large at maturity, it can be planted in small and medium-sized gardens but away from immovable structures, both overhead and underground. The tree is relatively resistant to powdery mildew, bacterial blight, scales, and borers.
You’ll need 15 to 30 feet of available space to grow this beauty. Pair your Ivory Silk Lilac with iris, coneflowers, or salvia for a pop of color!
- Other Common Names: Giant Tree Lilac, Japanese Tree Lilac
- Growing Zones: 3-7
- Average Size at Maturity: 25-30 ft tall, 15-20 ft wide
7. White Oak Tree (Quercus alba)
Native to the USA, the majestic White Oak can be seen breathing life in and around DE, FL, GA, and MD gardens.
Mainly grown for its sturdy lumber, the White Oak requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily), a partial shade of a couple of hours, and well-draining and slightly acidic loamy soils to thrive.
The White Oak’s timber is used for flooring, woodwork, and barrels.
This cold-hardy tree grows slowly but can live for 500 to 600 years in ideal conditions. The White Oak is fairly drought-tolerant, so wet feet from frequent standing water could cause root rot.
This tree’s aggressive roots can be invasive and damage structures, overhead utility lines, pavements, pools, and underground pipelines, even if planted 20 feet from possible damageable things. You’ll need 60+ feet of available space to plant this tree in your garden.
Soil compaction and heavy winds can damage the White Oak tree. While the tree is fairly resistant to Black Walnut disease, it can fall prey to oak wilt, cankers, leaf spots, blister, and powdery mildew.
You’ll need to keep an eye on the soil and eliminate the pests to reduce potential damage to your tree.
- Other Common Names: American White Oak, Eastern White Oak, Forked-leaf White Oak, Northern White Oak, Oaks, Quebec Oak, White Oak
- Growing Zones: 3-9
- Average Size at Maturity: 50-100 ft tall, 50-80 ft wide
8. White Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Standing somewhat tall in parts of GA, FL, IL, and MD, the White Flowering Dogwood is the state flower of NC.
Native to Canada, Mexico, and North America, this tree requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily), partial shade, and loamy soils with high organic matter to thrive.
Unfortunately, this tree is considered endangered in Canada because of the dangerous Dogwood anthracnose fungus that ultimately kills the tree.
In the spring, clusters of stunning gold, green, pink, or white flowers adorn the branches, and in the fall, they’re replaced by red and green inedible berries that birds love to consume.
The same time the berries appear, the tree’s deep green leaves turn a mix of lavender and red, providing stunning contrast against the tree’s fruits.
The tree’s flowers attract butterflies and bees, birds and small mammals eat the fruits, and white-tailed deer eat the leaves. The flowering tree can fall prey to anthracnose, powdery mildew, leaf spot, canker, and blight.
You’ll need to keep an eye out for scale, borer, sawfly, and leafhoppers from damaging your tree. You’ll need at least 20 to 30 feet of available space to grow the White Flowering Dogwood in your garden.
- Other Common Names: Flowering Dogwood, Eastern Flowering Dogwood
- Growing Zones: 5-9
- Average Size at Maturity: 15-30 ft tall, 20-25 ft wide
9. Bradford Flowering Pear Tree (Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’)
If you’re looking for a tree that looks straight out of a fairytale, you can’t go wrong with the Bradford Flowering Pear Tree. Native to China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, the tree was introduced to the USA in the mid-1960s.
With a lifespan of about 25 years, the Bradford Flowering Tree requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily), partial shade, and loamy soils to thrive.
Standing pretty in landscapes around GA, FL, MD, and NY, the tree’s a show-stopper in the spring when it decorates its branches with clusters of glossy white or cream flowers.
In the fall, the tree’s leathery green leaves turn a mix of sunset shades of red, orange, gold, and burgundy. Unfortunately, while this tree has year-round interest, it’s considered an invasive species in some US states.
PA and OH have banned the sale of this tree, making it illegal to sell or plant them. You’ll want to check your local laws before planting this tree in your garden. If it isn’t listed as invasive in your area, you’ll need between 25 to 60 feet of available space to grow it in your garden.
The Bradford Flowering Pear makes an excellent shade tree and provides a stunning focal point to your landscape.
- Other Common Names: Bradford Pear, Callery ‘Bradford’ Pear, Callery Pear
- Growing Zones: 5-9
- Average Size at Maturity: 30-50 ft tall, 20-35 ft wide
10. Cryptomeria Radicans (Cryptomeria japonica ‘Radicans’)
Native to China and South Japan, the Cryptomeria Radicans, or the Japanese Cedar, is a beautiful accent or privacy tree you can add to your landscape.
This large evergreen tree requires dappled sunlight, full sun (at least six hours daily), partial shade, and loamy soils to thrive. Cryptomeria Radicans prefers well-draining soils and won’t do well with frequent standing water, which could cause root rot.
If you want a giant Christmas tree in your backyard that reminds you of the holiday season year-round, you can’t go wrong with Cryptomeria Radicans. In the fall, this needled evergreen’s bluish-green leaves turn copper while maintaining its glossy, leathery, and smooth texture.
You’ll need 30 to 60 feet of available space to plant this tree in your garden, but as always, don’t plant it too close to immovable structures, overhead utility lines, and underground pipelines.
Although the tree is fairly disease-resistant, it can fall prey to leaf spots, leaf blight, and fungi. You’ll also want to keep an eye on mites, as they can infest the foliage, causing leaf breakage.
Fungicides would help keep mites away, but avoid overwatering as that could invite mold. If you’re planting more than one tree, ensure eight to 10 feet of space between two trees.
- Other Common Names: Japanese Cedar, Japanese Cryptomeria
- Growing Zones: 5-8
- Average Size at Maturity: 50-70 ft tall, 30-40 ft wide
11. Eastern White Pine Tree (Pinus strobus)
Beautifying landscapes around DE, GA, MA, and NY, the Eastern White Pine brings along a sense of mystery and majesty.
Known for its lightweight timber, the Eastern White Pine requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily), partial shade of a couple of hours, and loamy soils with high organic content to thrive.
Although it’s somewhat drought-tolerant, give your tree extra water to drink when it’s too hot outside.
The tree will start producing pine cones when it’s five to 10 years old. This stunning tree plays a significant role in wildlife as it supports the lifecycle of Imperial Moths and provides shelter for many birds and small mammals.
That said, this tree’s flammability rating is high, meaning you shouldn’t plant it near your home’s defensible space.
This type of pine tree is susceptible to wind damage and can fall prey to blights, canker, and white pine blister rust, which can be fatal if left untreated. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for aphids, spider mites, beetles, and borers.
Plant Sugar Maple, American Beech, and Quacking Aspen for a pop of color and help act as a windbreak for your delicate Eastern White Pine.
- Other Common Names: Eastern White Pine, North American White Pine, Northern White Pine, Soft Pine, White Pine
- Growing Zones: 3-8
- Average Size at Maturity: 50-80 ft tall, 20-40 ft wide
12. Vitex Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus castus)
Adorning some parts of PA, the Vitex Chaste is a stylish ornamental tree with deep green foliage and pink, lavender, or white flower shoots.
Native to Europe and Asia, Vitex Chaste requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily) and moist, well-draining soils to thrive. The tree’s fruits are used in herbal medicine, and the tree can be trained as a low shrub.
Perfect for privacy and bordering, the tree is a sight to behold in summer and spring. In the spring and summer, the tree decorates its branches with panicles of pink, lavender, or white fragrant flowers that attract beneficial pollinators to your garden.
In the fall, the flowers pave the way for purple fruit displays that are used in herbal medicine and essential oils.
You’ll need at least 10 to 15 feet of available space to grow this beauty in your garden. While this tree is fairy pest-resistant, it can fall prey to thrips, hyalesthus obsoletus, and root rot from frequent standing water.
Some experienced gardeners consider this an invasive species, so you may want to check your local laws before planting this tree in your garden. The fruit can create a mess, but nothing a good garden vacuum can’t fix!
- Other Common Names: Chasteberry, Chastetree, Chaste Tree, Lilac chastetree, Monk’s Pepper, Texas lilac
- Growing Zones: 5-9
- Average Size at Maturity: 15-25 ft tall, 10-20 ft wide
13. Amber Glow Redwood Tree (Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘WAH-08AG’)
If you’re looking for a tree that’s neither red, white, or pink, how about one that’s orange, like the shade when the sun sets? Decorating landscapes around GA, MA, and NY, the Amber Glow Redwood is a sight to behold in the fall.
Native to China, this tree requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily) and clay-like soils with high organic content to thrive.
In the fall, this pyramidical-shaped tree’s soft green leaves turn a mix of bright and deep orange, creating a beautiful contrast with its copper flowers and fruits.
The tree plays a significant role in wildlife because it provides shelter for small mammals and birds during winter. Although the tree is somewhat resistant to wet soils, frequent standing water can cause root rot.
While the tree is relatively pest-resistant, you may want to watch for Japanese beetle that can eat away your tree’s foliage. You’ll need 60+ feet of available space to plant this tree in your garden.
Pair your tree with rhododendron, azaleas, and ferns for a pop of color and to accentuate it as a focal point.
If you’re planting more than one tree, ensure at least 25 feet of space between each tree for healthy growth.
- Other Common Names: Dawn Redwood
- Growing Zones: 4-9
- Average Size at Maturity: 50-65 ft tall, 30-50 ft wide
14. Slender Silhouette Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’)
Looking for something that’s neither small nor big and that can be planted in small, medium, and large gardens? Want a tree that looks like a Christmas tree but with a unique spin of its own?
You’ll fall in love with Slender Silhouette Sweetgum. True to its name, this tree can grow up to 60 feet high at maturity with a width of just six feet.
Introduced by a nurseryman called Don Shadow, this TN native tree requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily), partial shade, and well-draining loamy soils to thrive.
In the fall, the tree’s glossy green leaves turn a mix of gold, orange, and burgundy shades, turning heads high above! You’ll need 12-15 feet of available space to plant this tree in your garden.
This tree also received an RHS AGM award for best performing tree in a garden! While the Slender Silhouette Sweetgum is fairly disease-resistant, it can suffer chlorosis if the soil it’s growing in is too alkaline. It can also fall prey to cypress twig and borers that can damage your tree.
Pair your slender silhouette sweetgum with warm shades of mums, boxwoods, or bird’s nest spruce for a pop of color and to prevent soil erosion.
- Other Common Names: ‘Slender Silhouette’ Sweetgum
- Growing Zones: 5-9
- Average Size at Maturity: 50-60 ft tall, 5-6 ft wide
15. Weeping Norway Spruce (Picea abies ‘Pendula’)
Standing somewhat tall in MD, MA, NY, and NC gardens, Weeping Norway requires full sun (at least six hours or more daily) and moist, well-draining, acidic soils to thrive.
The tree’s glossy needled evergreen remains true to its color all year while making room for copper-colored fruits and gorgeous copper, gold, green or lavender flowers that bloom in spring.
Native to northern and central Europe, this is one of the most popular Christmas trees in Great Britain. With over 150 cultivars, this tree’s roots are not invasive and won’t damage your property.
However, it’s still recommended that you don’t plant it too close to immovable structures, overhead utility lines, and underground pipelines.
That said, this tree isn’t very drought-tolerant, so when it’s too hot outside, you’ll need to give it extra water to prefer dry soils.
Wet feet can cause root rot, too, so it’s best to trust your judgment and invest in a good moisture tester to know if and when your tree needs a drink.
While the tree’s relatively pest-resistant, it can fall prey to aphids, bagworms, borers, and red spider mites. Keep an eye out for cytospora canker, wood decay, and rust.
- Other Common Names: Baltic Whitewood, Common Spruce, European Spruce, Norway Spruce
- Growing Zones: 2-8
- Average Size at Maturity: 20-40 ft tall, 25-30 ft wide
There’s A Tree for All
There are so many more trees that thrive in USDA planting zone 6 that you can grow in your garden if you have the space and time to care for them. This list concludes some of the best trees for zone 6 you can consider growing.
If you’d rather grow fruit trees, check out some zone 6 apple, fig, or nut trees for your backyard. If you know which tree you’d like to plant in your garden, measure the available space you have after accounting for immovable structures, overhead utility lines, and underground pipelines.
Remember to research more about the tree you wish to plant so you can provide it with the best care, maintenance, and TLC it needs to thrive!
