Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, cold-hardy to zone 3, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Colorado · Zones 3–6
Fragrant Native Plants in Colorado
Native plants with scented flowers or foliage — the ones that make a garden smell as good as it looks. Every species here is genuinely native to Colorado and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 3–6 — proven performers for Colorado's semi-arid, cold winters, high sun climate across Southern Rockies & High Plains, not a generic list. Local standouts include Swamp Milkweed and Wild Bergamot. Fragrance is easy to overlook on paper and unforgettable in person, so plant the scented natives where you will brush past them — along a path, by a door, beside a bench. Some carry it in the flowers and some in the crushed leaves, and many of the aromatic-leaved species double as deer-resistant. Site them in sun, where warmth lifts the scent into the air.
The plants
9 native species for Colorado
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–6 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, cold-hardy to zone 4, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, good through zone 10 — it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, for clay and loam ground — it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, 3–5 ft tall — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, star-shaped pink flowers; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, 6–12 ft tall, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, reaching 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Colorado
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.