This
is a "starter" list of native plants
for Kentucky and Tennessee. It is intended for
residential or commercial landscapers who want
to create attractive and varied native landscapes.
Red Maple
Downy Serviceberry
River Birch
Hickory
Redbud
Yellowwood
Flowering Dogwood
American Beech
American Holly
Eastern Red Cedar
Sweetgum
Tulip Tree, Tulip Poplar
Blackgum
American Hophornbeam
Oak
Carolina Buckthorn
Rusty Black. Viburnum
Buds and young
twigs are red; Great fall color
Yellow - orange, red fall color, white flowers (Apr)
Yellow fall color
Rich gold fall color; Nuts eaten by mammals and birds
April cluster of rosy pink flowers line branches and trunk
Flowers after 12-18 years, fragrant and white
White or pink flowers Apr-May
Nut in fall attacts birds, mammals, humans
To insure fruit, 1 male neededper 2-3 females
Offers nesting and cover to birds
Brilliant scarlet-red to red-purple fall cover
Large tulip-like flowers are yellow- green-orange May-Jun
Scarlet red autumn color
Fall foliage is pale yellow
Human, birds, mammals, butterflies enjoy oaks
Yellow-green flowers in May; berries eaten by birds
Creamy white clusters of flowers in May
Red Chokeberry
Beautyberry
New Jersey Tea
Buttonbush
Sweet Pepperbush
Strawberry Bush
Wild Hydrangea
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Shrubby St. Johns Wort
Possumhaw Holly
Winterberry
Virginia Sweetspire
Spicebush
Ninebark
Piedmont Azalea
Pinxterbloom Azalea
Fragrant Sumac
Carolina Rose
American Bladdernut
Farkleberry
Arrowwood Viburnum
Aronia
arbutifolia
Callicarpa americana
Ceanothus americana
Cephalanth. occidentalis
Clethra alnifolia
Euonymus americanus
Hydrang. arborescens
Hydrangea quercifoia
Hypericum prolificum
Ilex decidua
Ilex verticillata
Itea virginica
Lindera bezoin
Physocarp. opulifolius
Rhododend. canescens
Rhod. periclymenoides
Rhus aromatica
Rosa carolina
Staphylea trifolia
Vaccinium arboreum
Viburnum dentatum
F
F
F-P
F-P
F
P-S
P-S
P-S
F
P-S
F
P-S
P-S
P-S
P-S
P-S
F
F
P-S
P-S
P-S
W-A
A
D
W-A
W-A
A
A
A
A-D
W-A
W-A
W-A
A
W-D
A
W-D
D
W-D
W-A
D
W-A
Red berries
on shrub eaten by mammals and birds
Lav-pink flowers, purple berries; yellow color (fall)
Short spikes of tiny white flowers in June
Spherical white blossom heads
Sm. white fragrant flowers in Aug; yellow-orange (fall)
Purplish flowers (May); red seed pods attract birds
Clusters of greenish-white flowers Jun-Jul
Reddish-orange to purplish-brown color in Autumn
Bright yellow flowers
Red berries eaten late in season by birds
Red berries feed birds through cold season
Fragrant white flowers; leaves red to purple in Autumn
Tiny yellow flowers (fragrant); berries for birds
Yellow fall color; berries for birds; white flowers
Fragrant white to pink flowers Apr-May
Large clusters of pink to purple frag. flowers Apr-May
Bright scarlet, orange, purple fall color; Aromatic
Yellow-orange-red fall color, pink flowers May-Jul
Drooping racemes of green-white bell-like flowers (May)
Twisted branches; Crimson fall color; Black. berries
Flowers May-Jun; Small blue-black berries in fall
Small pale
blue flowers in May; butterflies
Clusters of brilliant orange flowers Jun-Aug
Will grow in low nitrogen soil; Attracts butterflies
Bright Yellow Flowers
Purple, long- lasting flowers summer-fall
Attracts butterflies
1" flowers; purplish-brown disks
3" yellow rayed flowers
Liberally set with purple flowers
Pink-lavender clusters; tubular florets Jun-Jul
Pale lavender to white flowers May-Jun
Magenta, pink, or white flower clusters May-Jun
Small purple flowers above whitened upper leaves
Deep yellow flowers with dark brown disks Jul-Aug
Do well in any well-drained soil
Large, loose clusters of red-purple flowers
White flowers
in spring; poisonous berries Aug-Sep
Unique red and yellow flowers attract hummingbirds
Spathe in Apr-May; red berries late sum-fall
Dense creeping deciduous ground cover
Pink-lavender 5-petaled flowers Apr-May
Light-green foliage with bronzy veining & edges
Pale lavender-blue crested flowers Apr-May
Brilliant red tubular flowers adorn stem Jul-Sep
Fragrant lavender-blue flowers Apr-May
Terminal clusters of blue bell-shaped flowers in April
Small white-green bells hang from leaf axles
Plume of tiny starry flowers in May
Tiny golden flowers on bluish-cast stem
Evergreen ground cover; feathery white flowers (Apr)
1. While
the plants listed above are native to and appropriate
for their indicated regions, please recognize that,
in some instances, human development alters the
characteristics of a site such that it may be advisable
to use plants from a neighboring region. For example,
plantings in urban and suburban areas may receive
reflected heat from streets, sidewalks and/or walls
or be in media that receives less moisture than
normal (e.g., next to a paved area – the pavement
blocks rain from entering soil). Accordingly, using
plants from a neighboring region that support higher
temperatures and/or drier conditions may be more
appropriate.
2. While a plant is native to a region, that does
not mean that it will grow everywhere in that region.
The characteristics of any site will typically vary
from place to place and some plants may do better
than others at various places within a site. In
other words, a little experimentation might be required.
3. The above list is a starter list. Though adequate
for most residential and commercial landscapes,
there are many more native plants and should you
want to consider them, please inquire at a listed
nursery, community
service organization, reference
book or other resources.
