Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Thrives on neglect once placed right: golden yellow flowers and good through zone 9; it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Kentucky · Zones 6–7
Easy Native Plants in Kentucky
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. For Kentucky, the right natives are shaped by Bluegrass, Cumberland Plateau & Pennyroyal and a humid, four-season climate. Every species below, from Black-Eyed Susan and Lanceleaf Coreopsis to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Kentucky and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–7. The easiest natives are the ones already adapted to your local soil and rainfall, so they need no fertilizer, no irrigation after year one, and no winter coddling. Start with these, plant them where their light and moisture needs are genuinely met, mulch the first year, and the maintenance shrinks to a single late-winter cleanup. Right plant, right place does ninety percent of the work.
The plants
33 native species for Kentucky
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A beginner's native — happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil and 12–18 in wide, content with whatever you give it — it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil and reaching 1.5–3 ft, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Thrives on neglect once placed right: for clay and loam ground and spreading 6–10 ft — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A beginner's native — cold-hardy to zone 3 and 1–2 ft wide, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
A beginner's native — hardy in zones 3–8 and red & yellow flowers, content with whatever you give it — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
About as hard to kill as a native gets — spreading 1–2 ft and cold-hardy to zone 3, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: for clay, rocky, and loam ground and cold-hardy to zone 3, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A beginner's native — reaching 8–15 ft and for clay and loam ground, content with whatever you give it — it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Thrives on neglect once placed right: rose pink flowers and spreading 2–3 ft — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
About as hard to kill as a native gets — sky blue flowers and spreading 2–3 ft, and forgives neglect — it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A beginner's native — rose-magenta flowers and 20–30 ft tall, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 9 and happy in clay and loam soil, no fuss — it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A beginner's native — white spring lace flowers and happy in clay and loam soil, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 8 and happy in clay and loam soil, no fuss; it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
About as hard to kill as a native gets — cold-hardy to zone 6 and pink (then purple fruit) flowers, and forgives neglect — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Plant it and forget it: reaching 1.5–2 ft and spreading 1.5–2 ft, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Plant it and forget it: for clay and loam ground and white domes flowers, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Plant it and forget it: happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and hardy in zones 3–9, no fuss — it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Plant it and forget it: good through zone 8 and for clay and loam ground, no fuss, flowering as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
A beginner's native — 5–10 ft wide and yellow catkins flowers, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
A beginner's native — good through zone 9 and 1.5–2.5 ft tall, content with whatever you give it; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
A beginner's native — cold-hardy to zone 3 and 3–5 ft tall, content with whatever you give it — it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
A beginner's native — good through zone 7 and 6–9 ft tall, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
9 more also qualify: American Elderberry, Wild Ginger, Virginia Creeper, Ninebark, Common Milkweed, Inkberry Holly, Christmas Fern, Pennsylvania Sedge, Little Bluestem.
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.