Native Bushes of Kentucky

Evergreen Bushes

• Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is a Kentucky native bush that is evergreen, growing between 4 and 8 feet high. Inkberry is appropriate for foundation plantings and thrives in damp locations, reports the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Inkberry generates new growth from its own root system, known as suckering. Its black fruits ripen by September. Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is a potentially large evergreen shrub, with some growing to 15 feet. It is a Kentucky native, producing flowers in May. All parts of the mountain laurel are toxic if you ingest them, warns the Missouri Botanical Garden

Bushes for Wet Sites

• Utilize the swamp rose (Rosa palustris) in Kentucky when the soil is always damp. It grows in the swamps of Kentucky, to heights between 3 and 6 feet. Look for it to produce pink flowers during June and July, especially when you place it in a full sun site. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is suitable for wet habitats. The Kentucky native bush has showy yellow flowers in spring and its twigs and bark give off an aromatic scent. Spicebush's fruit is red, and the fall foliage is a gaudy yellow color.

Bushes with Good Fall Color

• Orange, red, purple and yellow are the showy fall colors of the leaves of large fothergilla (Fothergilla major), a Kentucky native that grows to 10 feet. Large fothergilla resists disease, turns out fragrant, white flowers in April, and works in mass plantings for both its flowering effect and fall splendor. Plant it in area where it will receive some shade during the Kentucky summer. Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), grows across most of Kentucky, usually in colonies with specimens as tall as 15 feet. Smooth sumac has outstanding fall color. It helps control erosion on banks and is a good choice for borders and the edges of wooded areas.

Bird-Attracting Bushes

• Gray dogwood (Cornus amomum) lacks the showy flowers of most dogwood species, but its fruits are bird magnets. This bush grows to 12 feet in Kentucky, with an affinity for damp places. Use it to attract birds to the wetter naturalized areas of your property. The reddish-orange berries that grow on the possumhaw (Ilex decidua) not only appeal to birds, they may lure in the occasional deer or even an opossum. Possumhaw is a form of deciduous holly you can use to create hedges with around your acreage. It grows as small as 7 feet or to heights around 15 feet.