Many garden plants commonly found in big box stores are exotic and invasive but have native relatives or alternatives. Here are some resources to help find native plants to use in place of exotic invasives. Some plants in these lists are not Kentucky specific so check other resources like wildflower.org or Tennessee Kentucky Plant Atlas to make sure plants are native to your location.
Native Alternatives Plant List by C. Colston Burrell in conjunction with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Native Plant Alternatives by the U.S. Forest Service
Alternative Species by the Missouri Prairie Foundation
Tennessee’s Native Plant Alternatives to Exotic Invasive by the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council