Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, cold-hardy to zone 3, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Missouri · Zones 5–7
Fragrant Native Plants in Missouri
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 Missouri and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for Missouri's humid continental to subtropical climate across Ozarks, glades & prairie, not a generic list. Local standouts include Wild Bergamot and Scarlet Beebalm. 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
13 native species for Missouri
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, scarlet red flowers — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, reaching 4–7 ft; it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, yellow, maroon center flowers, and it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, lavender-blue flowers, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, 2–3 ft tall; it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, reaching 3–4 ft, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, good through zone 8, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, chartreuse-gold flowers, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, 1.5–3 ft wide — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, hardy in zones 3–9; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, creamy umbels flowers; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Missouri
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.