Quick answer: 83 deer-resistant native plants are native to Kentucky, 76 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
83 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- American wisteria Wisteria frutescens · 14 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue wild indigo Baptisia australis · 23 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 34 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Dwarf crested iris Iris cristata · 17 states
- Dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne · 15 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens · 13 states
- Eastern hay-scented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula · 25 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern smooth beardtongue Penstemon laevigatus · 15 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Gulf muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris · 16 states
- Hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus · 19 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana · 29 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora · 25 states
- Lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora · 10 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Lobed tickseed Coreopsis auriculata · 8 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata · 22 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis · 18 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida · 23 states
- Pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida · 17 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Plains coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria · 16 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 19 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Purple milkweed Asclepias purpurascens · 20 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Red spruce Picea rubens · 15 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Southern wax myrtle Morella cerifera · 8 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa · 11 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Threadleaf coreopsis Coreopsis verticillata · 14 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
Deer-resistant native plants in Kentucky: what to know
83 of the 315 plants native to Kentucky in this directory fit this need: 26% of the state's list, close to the 28% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 67 are also good for pollinators, 43 are also good for birds, 42 are also shade-tolerant.
60 of them grow in full or partial sun and 42 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Bloodroot to trees such as American wisteria and Common juniper. For wildlife, 67 support pollinators, 43 provide food or cover for birds and 24 are caterpillar host plants.
76 of the 83 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American wisteria, Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov