Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Give it full sun and it flowers in Sep and Oct, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Kentucky · Zones 6–7
Native Plants for Full Sun in Kentucky
Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. For Kentucky, the right natives are shaped by Bluegrass, Cumberland Plateau & Pennyroyal and a humid, four-season climate. Every species below, from Pink Muhly Grass and Butterfly Weed to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Kentucky and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–7. A spot with six or more hours of direct sun is prime real estate for the prairie and meadow natives that evolved in the open — most want exactly that much light to bloom hard and stand up straight. Give them lean, well-drained soil rather than rich and pampered, skip the fertilizer, and they will reward the tough love with more flowers and sturdier stems.
The plants
59 native species for Kentucky
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Made for open ground — blooms Jun through Sep, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Made for open ground — blooms May through Jul, 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Give it full sun and it blooms May through Aug, 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Made for open ground — flowers in May and Jun, 6–10 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Give it full sun and it flowers in May and Jun, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Made for open ground — blooms Apr through Jun, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Aug, standing 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A sun-lover that blooms Jul through Sep, standing 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
A sun-lover that flowers in Apr and May, standing 25–50 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Made for open ground — blooms Jul through Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A sun-lover that blooms Apr through Sep, standing 8–15 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Give it full sun and it flowers in Jul and Aug, 3–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A sun-lover that blooms Jun through Sep, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A sun-lover that flowers in Jul and Aug, standing 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Made for open ground — blooms Sep through Nov, 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Give it full sun and it blooms Jun through Aug, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Made for open ground — flowers in Mar and Apr, 20–30 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Made for open ground — flowers in Aug and Sep, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
A sun-lover that blooms Aug through Oct, standing 5–8 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Give it full sun and it flowers in Apr and May, 6–16 in tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Made for open ground — flowers in Aug and Sep, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
35 more also qualify: Prairie Blazing Star, Turk's Cap, Buttonbush, Serviceberry, New England Aster, American Beautyberry, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Cardinal Flower, Winterberry, Scarlet Beebalm, Pasque Flower, Showy Goldenrod, Stiff Goldenrod, Blue Vervain, Rattlesnake Master, Bearberry, Fragrant Sumac, Sideoats Grama, Common Boneset, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Virginia Creeper, Wild Lupine, Ninebark, Common Milkweed, Inkberry Holly, New Jersey Tea, Compass Plant, Creeping Phlox, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, Prairie Dropseed, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Kentucky
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.