Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Sets the autumn garden alight — cotton-candy pink — spreading 2–3 ft and for sand, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Kentucky · Zones 6–7
Native Plants for Fall Color in Kentucky
Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold. 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 Arrowwood Viburnum 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 natives behind New England's famous foliage will do the same work in your yard, and the show lasts far longer than the flowers did. Sugars trapped in the leaves on cool, sunny fall days drive the brightest color, so plant these in full sun for the most intense display. Pair fiery shrubs with the copper and amber of warm-season grasses for a season finale that rivals any flower bed.
The plants
15 native species for Kentucky
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Fall color that lasts — creamy white, for clay and loam ground and spreading 6–10 ft.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Turns white bracts in fall, long after the flowers are gone; for loam ground and white bracts flowers.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Fall color that lasts — rose-magenta, rose-magenta flowers and 20–30 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Sets the autumn garden alight — white spring lace — white spring lace flowers and happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
Fall color that lasts — white cones, good through zone 9 and 4–8 ft wide.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Lights up in autumn, yellow catkins, for a long late-season show, 5–10 ft wide and yellow catkins flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Turns inconspicuous green in fall, long after the flowers are gone; inconspicuous green flowers and cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Lights up in autumn, white to pink, for a long late-season show, reaching 5–10 ft and spreading 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Turns chartreuse-gold in fall, long after the flowers are gone; hardy in zones 4–9 and chartreuse-gold flowers.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Sets the autumn garden alight — bronze-purple seed heads — 2–3 ft wide and 4–7 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Fall color that lasts — airy pink-gold panicles, reaching 3–6 ft and good through zone 9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Sets the autumn garden alight — fine emerald to amber — hardy in zones 3–8 and happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Lights up in autumn, blue-green to copper, for a long late-season show, cold-hardy to zone 3 and spreading 1.5–2 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Lights up in autumn, bronze-gold plumes, for a long late-season show, spreading 2–3 ft and happy in sand, clay, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
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.