Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you want to grow plants or trees in your space but the area lacks sunlight? I know how painful it is. Many people believe plants and trees need a good amount of sunlight to grow well. Thankfully, Mother Nature gifted us plenty of trees that actually grow well in the shade. Here I will introduce you to a list of plants and trees that can be grown under shades in Zone 6.
If I provide you with a list of 50 or 100 plants, finding what you are looking for might be difficult. To make it easy, I will first create lists of some plants (flowering, veggies, herbs, etc.). At the end of the article, you will find the list of trees that you can grow in shades.
Flowering plants that we can grow in shades in Zone 6
| Plant Name | Shade Type | Blooming Season | Best Planting Season | Variety Suggestion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astilbe | Partial Shade | Summer | Spring | Astilbe 'Fanal' |
| Hosta | Full Shade | Summer | Spring | Hosta 'Frances Williams' |
| Bleeding Heart | Partial Shade | Spring | Fall or Spring | Dicentra spectabilis |
| Coral Bells | Partial Shade | Spring to Early Summer | Spring | Heuchera 'Palace Purple' |
| Ferns | Full Shade | N/A (Non-flowering) | Spring | Japanese Painted Fern |
| Impatiens | Full to Partial Shade | Summer to Fall | Spring | Impatiens 'Super Elfin' |
| Lungwort | Partial Shade | Spring | Fall | Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash' |
Most of the flowering plants we grow need sunlight to bloom and this is why we have fewer indoor flowering plants in Zone 6. If you can't give the plants direct sunlight you need to provide an indirect good amount of light.
The above-listed flowering plants can perform well in shady places in your garden.
I have not mentioned Vinca and SunPatience, but both can perform well under shades. If you are confused about what to choose among these two check: SunPatience vs Vinca
But note that, they will not bloom in extreme cold.
Get a list of perennial plants for Zone 6.
Vegetables to grow under shades
I want to be honest with you. There is no vegetable that you can grow in full shade in zone 6. But there are vegetables that can be grown under partial shade.
Mushrooms can be grown in full shade.
| Vegetable Name | Shade Type | Best Planting Season | Variety Suggestion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Bloomsdale Long Standing |
| Lettuce | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Buttercrunch |
| Kale | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Red Russian Kale |
| Arugula | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Rocket Salad |
| Beets | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Detroit Dark Red |
| Swiss Chard | Partial Shade | Spring or Summer | Bright Lights |
| Mushrooms | Full Shade | Spring or Fall | Shiitake or Oyster |
| Green Onions | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | White Lisbon |
Herbs that can be grown in partial shade and full shade in Zone 6
I never trust gardening information unless I test it myself. I have found 4 herbs that grow well in partial shade and two herbs that can be grown in full shade. Here is the list.
| Herb Name | Shade Type | Best Planting Season | Variety Suggestion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mint | Partial Shade | Spring | Peppermint |
| Chives | Partial Shade | Spring | Common Chives |
| Cilantro | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Santo Cilantro |
| Parsley | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Flat-Leaf Parsley |
| Sweet Woodruff | Full Shade | Spring | Galium odoratum |
| Golden Oregano | Full Shade | Spring | Aureum |
Beside each tree, I am mentioning if the tree is a fruit tree or an ornamental tree.
| Hedge Name | Type | Shade Tolerance | Best Planting Season | Variety Suggestion | Max Height (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yew | Evergreen | Full to Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Taxus baccata (English Yew) | 10-20 ft |
| Boxwood | Evergreen | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Green Velvet Boxwood | 4-6 ft |
| Holly | Evergreen | Partial Shade | Spring | Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra) | 8-10 ft |
| Privet | Deciduous | Partial Shade | Spring | Cheyenne Privet | 8-12 ft |
| Mountain Laurel | Evergreen | Partial Shade | Spring | Kalmia latifolia | 6-10 ft |
| Skip Laurel | Evergreen | Partial Shade | Spring | Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis' | 10-15 ft |
| American Elderberry | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring | Sambucus canadensis | 6-12 ft |
| Juneberry (Serviceberry) | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Amelanchier alnifolia | 10-15 ft |
| Hazelnut | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring | Corylus americana | 8-12 ft |
| Black Mulberry | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Morus nigra | 15-20 ft |
| American Plum | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring | Prunus americana | 10-15 ft |
Pawpaw is the only fruit tree that we can grow in Full shade and will produce custard-like fruits.
I love dogwoods as it produces beautiful flowers in spring.
Redbud produces pink blossoms in spring.
Privacy Hedges for Shade in Zone 6
| Hedge Name | Type | Shade Tolerance | Best Planting Season | Variety Suggestion | Max Height (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yew | Evergreen | Full to Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Taxus baccata (English Yew) | 10-20 ft |
| Boxwood | Evergreen | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Green Velvet Boxwood | 4-6 ft |
| Holly | Evergreen | Partial Shade | Spring | Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra) | 8-10 ft |
| Privet | Deciduous | Partial Shade | Spring | Cheyenne Privet | 8-12 ft |
| Mountain Laurel | Evergreen | Partial Shade | Spring | Kalmia latifolia | 6-10 ft |
| Skip Laurel | Evergreen | Partial Shade | Spring | Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis' | 10-15 ft |
| American Elderberry | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring | Sambucus canadensis | 6-12 ft |
| Juneberry (Serviceberry) | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Amelanchier alnifolia | 10-15 ft |
| Hazelnut | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring | Corylus americana | 8-12 ft |
| Black Mulberry | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring or Fall | Morus nigra | 15-20 ft |
| American Plum | Fruit Tree | Partial Shade | Spring | Prunus americana | 10-15 ft |
I have chosen mostly the evergreen plants as privacy hedge plants. Max heights are also mentioned. You can trim the plants according to your needs.
It's really hard to find full-shade trees for Zone 6. Though the list is small, it took me a lot of time to gather the most accurate information. If you like my work, subscribe to this site. It's Free!
