14 Spring Flowering Trees & Shrubs Worth Knowing in Zone 6!

 

A lot of the most AMAZING flowering trees and shrubs bloom during the 3-months of spring and it’s hard not to be captivated when they’re in flower! Blooms come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. The showy bracts of the dogwood (Cornus), the pea-like flowers of both the redbud (Cercis) and yellowwood (Cladrastis). Red foliage shrubs with smoke-like flowers in smokebush (Cotinus), and white flower panicles in both the false spirea (Sorbaria) and oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea).

Enjoy this post featuring 14-best flowering trees and shrubs for your spring garden! Though these trees and shrubs do well in Zone 6, they also do well in plenty of other climates! I’ve included the USDA zone for each trees and shrubs listed in this post. If you’re not sure of your hardiness zone: check here.

Bloomington, Indiana is Zone 6, as are these Midwest cities:

• Chicago

• Cincinnati

• Columbus

• Indianapolis

1. White dogwood tree (Cornus Florida)

 

White dogwood tree (Cornus florida)
USDA zone: 5-9
Bloom time: April – May
Size: 15 – 30′ tall x 15 – 30′ wide
There are many dogwood cultivars. Cultivars are selected for annual bloom and specific attributes such as red or pink bracts, large flowers, and variegated foliage. Flowers: The flowers are actually tiny yellowish clusters at the center of four showy white bracts! Here’s another flower with showy bracts. It’s normal to see the bracts as flowers, but they actually surround the tiny flowers. Bracts start creamy to lime green, sometimes with a pink blush and mature milky white. Pest/Disease: Dogwood anthracnose can be an issue. Exposure: Sun to part shade. Water: Moderate. Tolerates: Deer, clay soil, black walnut. Note: Seedlings can bloom on alternate years, cultivars bloom annually. Excellent RED fall color and berries! Native to eastern North America.

2. Lilac tree (Syringa vulgaris)

Common Lilac tree (Syringa vulgaris)
USDA zone: 3-7
Bloom time: May
Size: 12 – 16′ tall x 8 – 10′ wide
This tree is native to Southeastern Europe. It is particularly noted for its mid to late spring (May) bloom of very fragrant, tubular, 4-lobed, lilac to purple flowers (each to 1/3” long) which bloom in large conical to narrow-pyramidal panicles (to 6-8” long). Cultivars extend the range of available flower colors to include shades of white, cream, rose, magenta, pinkish-purple, lavender, and purple. Water: medium. Flowers: showy, fragrant and make good cut flowers. Exposure: Full sun. Native to Southeastern Europe.

3. Pink flowering dogwood tree (Cornus florida ‘Rubra’)

Pink flowering dogwood tree (Cornus florida ‘Rubra’)
USDA zone: 5-9
Bloom time: April – May
Size: 15-30′ tall X 15-30′ wide
Like the above white flowering dogwood, this one also adds a lot of beauty in early spring with showy flowers. In addition, dogwoods provide gorgeous fall color.  Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Water: Medium. Native to the eastern USA.

4. Eastern redbud tree (Cercis canadensis)

Eastern redbud tree (Cercis canadensis)
USDA zone: 4-8
Bloom time: April
Size: 20-30’tall X 25-35′ wide.
Flowers: pea-like rose-purple flowers which bloom profusely on bare branches in early spring. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Water: Medium. Uses: Specimen or small groups. Lawns, shrub borders, woodland margins, or along patios. Street tree or lawn tree. Attractive in naturalized settings. Native to Eastern North America.

5. Yellowwood tree (Cladrastis kentukea)

Yellowwood tree (Cladrastis kentukea)
USDA zone: 4- 8
Bloom time: May
Size: 30-50′ tall x 40-55′ wide
This tree is in the pea family, like Laburnum and the redbud tree above. Profuse bloom may occur only once every 2 or 3 years, however. New trees may not bloom for the first 8-10 years. Bloom is similar in appearance to that of black locust (Robinia). Flowers give way to flat seed pods (2.5-4” long) that mature in September-October. The species was formerly called Cladrastis lutea. Exposure: Sun. Water: Medium. Flowers: White. This tree has nice fall color. Native to Southeastern USA.

6. Bottlebrush buckeye shrub (Aesculus parviflora)

Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)
USDA zone: 4-8
Bloom time: June-July
Size: 8-12′ tall x 8 – 15′ wide
A distinctive small buckeye, bottlebrush buckeye, is a mound-shaped, thicket-forming, deciduous shrub.
It’s noted for being one of the best summer-flowering shrubs for shade areas. It is a dense, mounded, suckering, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub. Blooms: White with red anthers. Exposure: Part to full shade. Water: Medium. Native to Southeastern USA.

7. Weigela shrub (Weigela florida)

Weigela (Weigela florida)
USDA zone: 4-8
Bloom time: April – June
Size: 6-10′ tall X 9-12′ wide
Weigela florida is a dense, rounded, deciduous shrub. Exposure: Sun. Water: Medium. Bloom color: Rose pink. Flowers are attractive to hummingbirds. Native to Northern Korea, Japan, China.

8. Mock orange shrub (Philadelphus)

Mock orange (Philadelphus coronarius)
USDA zone: 4-8
Bloom time: May to June
Size: 10-12′ tall x 10-12′ wide
Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Water: Medium. Flower color: White, fragrant and showy.
Prune: Flowers appear on the prior year’s growth, so prune as needed immediately after flowering. Uses: Foundation plantings, hedges, cottage gardens, shrub borders, or low screens. This shrub has minimal ornamental interest when not in flower.  Native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor.

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
USDA zone: 5-9
Bloom time: May to July
Size: 6-8′ tall X 6-8′ wide
Oakleaf  hydrangea produces pyramidal panicles of white flowers in summer on exfoliating branches with oak-like, dark green leaves. Uses: Effective as a specimen or accent for foundations or other locations near homes or patios. Group or mass in shrub borders or in open woodland areas. Good informal hedge. Exfoliating mature branches provide interesting color and texture in winter.  Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Good fall and winter interest. Flower: Showy, good cut, and dried. Bloom color: White changing to purplish pink. Native to Southeastern USA.

10. Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria)

Smoketree (Cotinus coggygyria)
USDA zone: 5-8
Bloom time: May to July
Size: 10-15′ tall x 10-15′ wide
Exposure: Sun. Water: Medium. Leaves are colorful and good fall color.  Flower show: billowy hairs (attached to elongated stalks on the spent flower clusters) which turn a smokey pink to purplish pink in summer, thus covering the tree with fluffy, hazy, smoke-like puffs throughout summer. Bluish-green leaves (to 3” long) are ovate to obovate. Fall color is highly variable, but at its best produces attractive shades of yellow, orange, and purplish-red. Uses: Single specimen, group, or mass in shrub borders or sunny areas around the home. The long-lasting summer smoke display makes this a striking accent plant. Also may be used as an informal hedge or screen. Native to temperate Asia and Europe.

11. Ninebark shrub (Physocarpus opulifolius)

Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
USDA zone: 2-8
Bloom time: May to June
Size: 5-8′ tall X 4-6′ wide
Water: Dry to medium. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Bloom color: White or pink. is an upright, spreading, somewhat coarse, deciduous, Missouri-native shrub which is closely related to the genus Spiraea. Bark provides winter interest, but is usually hidden by the foliage during the growing season. Native to central and eastern North America.

12. American elderberry shrub (Sambucus canadensis)

American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
USDA zone: 3-9
Bloom time: June to July
Size: 5-12′ tall X 5-12′ wide
Native to eastern North America this deciduous shrub has Flowers that give way to clusters of black elderberry fruits (drupes) in late summer. Fruits of species plants are sometimes used to make jams, jellies, pie fillings, and elderberry wine. Fruits are attractive to wildlife. American elder (Sambucus canadensis) and European elder (Sambucus nigra) are closely related plants. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Water: Medium to wet. Bloom: Showy, white fragrant flowers. Fruit: Showy and edible black elderberry fruit. Native to North America, south to Bolivia.

13. False spiraea shrub – (Sorbaria sorbifolia)

False spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia)
USDA zone: 2-9
Bloom time: June to July
Size: 6-10′ tall x 6-10′ wide
This fast-growing, deciduous shrub is native to Central and Eastern Asia.   Blooms: white flowers in dense, terminal, pyramidal panicles (to 10″ long) in early summer. Good for screening, accenting borders and raised beds. Best in areas where allowed to spread. Works well on slopes and banks – can mass for erosion control. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Water: Medium. Note: Can spread aggressively by root suckers, particularly in loose soils (less invasive in heavy clay soils). Pruning back hard is a good option to keep this shrub under control. Native to central and eastern Asia.

14. Southern catalpa tree (Catalpa bignoniodes)

Southern catalpa (Catalpa bignoniodes)
USDA zone: 5-9
Bloom time: May to June
Size: 30-60′ tall X 20- 40′ wide
Bloom Description: White with purple and yellow markings. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Water: Medium to wet. Tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions including both wet and dry soils. Tolerant of seasonal flooding. Native to Southeastern USA.

 

USA Map Showing Dark Green = Zone 6

 

A little bit about Zone 6…

If you take a look at the map, you’ll see that Zone 6 (dark green portion) covers a lot of the central USA. Zone 6’s:
–  Climate is mild with cold winters and warm summers.
–  Average minimum winter temperature falls between 0 and -10 degrees Fahrenheit.
–  Growing season lasts from early spring to early fall.

• Want to know when to plant? Put in your your Zip code to see the first and last frost dates in your area at The Old Farmer’s Almanac. 

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Happy Gardening!

Nicole