Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, good through zone 9; it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Vermont · Zones 3–5
Fragrant Native Plants in Vermont
Native plants with scented flowers or foliage — the ones that make a garden smell as good as it looks. For Vermont, the right natives are shaped by Green Mountains & Champlain Valley and a cold, humid continental climate. Every species below, from Swamp Milkweed and Woodland Phlox to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Vermont and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–5. 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
11 native species for Vermont
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, good through zone 8, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, 2–3 ft wide; it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, for sand, rocky, and loam ground — it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, cold-hardy to zone 3; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, scarlet red flowers, flowering as 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, 4–7 ft tall, and it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, hardy in zones 3–9, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, reaching 6–12 ft — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Vermont
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.