The lakeshore zone is a transitional zone between aquatic ecosystem and terrestrial ecosystem, which can reduce the impact of nonpoint source pollution. Plants are key parameters to prevent and control nitrogen migration into the lakeshore zone. Denitrification is a key process in the nitrogen cycle for the effective removal of nitrogen in the lakeshore zone, which can be affected by plant species, soil physicochemical properties, and microorganisms. In order to explore the effects of plant species on soil denitrification and the mechanism, the soil denitrification potential and denitrifying functional gene abundance of rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere of nine common plant species in the lakeshore zone of Yezhi Lake, and their relations with soil physicochemical properties were elucidated. The results showed that: (1) different plant species planting in the lakeshore zone changed the soil physicochemical properties. The contents of ammonium (NN), nitrate (AN), total carbon(TC), total nitrogen (TN), and soluble organic carbon (DOC) in the rhizosphere soils of all sampled species were significantly higher than those in the non-rhizosphere. The TC, DOC, TN, and NN in the rhizosphere soils of Salix babylonica, Jasminum nudiflorum, and Alternanthera philoxeroides were significantly higher than those of other plant species, while the pH of both rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils of Osmanthus fragrans were significantly lower. (2) The abundances of soil denitrifying functional genes, including narG, napA, nirS, nirK, and nosZ in the rhizosphere soils were significantly higher than those in the non-rhizosphere. The gene abundances in the rhizosphere soils of S. babylonica, J. nudiflorum, and A. philoxeroides were significantly higher than those of other plant species. pH, TN, NN, and DOC had significant impacts on the abundance of soil denitrification functional genes. (3) The soil denitrification potentials of the rhizosphere soils (0.44-1.99 mg N kg^-1h^-1) were much higher than those of non-rhizosphere soils (0.14-0.48 mg N kg^-1h^-1), with the rhizosphere soil denitrification potential of S. babylonica, O. fragrans, and J. nudiflorum significantly higher among the nine plant species, and the soil denitrification potential of J. nudiflorum was the highest in the non-rhizosphere soils. pH, DOC, TN, napA, nirS, and norB significantly affected the soil denitrification potential of the Yezhi lakeshore zone. The study indicates that denitrifying microorganisms grow vigorously in the plants' rhizosphere microenvironment, and plant species enhance the soil denitrification intensity of the lakeshore zone significantly and differently. Various species of evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs and herbs were suggested in the planting arrangement of lakeshore zone, so as to increase the nitrogen retention capacity of lakeshore zone and reduce the nonpoint source pollution caused by excessive nitrogen entering the aquatic ecosystem.