Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, happy in clay and loam soil, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Louisiana · Zones 8–9
Fragrant Native Plants in Louisiana
Native plants with scented flowers or foliage — the ones that make a garden smell as good as it looks. For Louisiana, the right natives are shaped by Mississippi Delta & Gulf Coast Prairie and a hot, humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Scarlet Beebalm and Spotted Joe-Pye Weed to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Louisiana and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 8–9. 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 Louisiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 8–9 · see this collection in other states.
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, reaching 4–7 ft, and it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, good through zone 10, flowering as it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, good through zone 8, flowering as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil — it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, rose pink flowers, 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, 10–15 in tall — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, for clay and loam ground, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, cold-hardy to zone 3; 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, happy in clay and loam soil — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, reaching 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Louisiana
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.