Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, for clay and loam ground; it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
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- New Hampshire
- Fragrant
New Hampshire · Zones 3–6
Fragrant Native Plants in New Hampshire
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 New Hampshire and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–6 — proven performers for New Hampshire's cool, humid continental climate across White Mountains & northern hardwoods, not a generic list. Local standouts include Swamp Milkweed 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
11 native species for New Hampshire
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–6 · see this collection in other states.
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, scarlet red flowers, and it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, lavender-blue flowers — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, 2–4 ft tall — it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, hardy in zones 4–8 — it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, good through zone 9 — it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, mauve-pink flowers; it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, chartreuse-gold flowers — it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, creamy umbels flowers; 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, dusty mauve-pink flowers — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in New Hampshire
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.