Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, happy in clay and loam soil, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
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- New Jersey
- Fragrant
New Jersey · Zones 6–7
Fragrant Native Plants in New Jersey
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 Jersey and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 6–7 — proven performers for New Jersey's humid, four-season climate across Pine Barrens & Piedmont, not a generic list. Local standouts include Swamp Milkweed and Short-Toothed Mountain Mint. 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 Jersey
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, for clay and loam ground, and 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, 1.5–2 ft wide — it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, 2.5–4 ft tall — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, spreading 1.5–2 ft, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, 10–15 in tall; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
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
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
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
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
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, good through zone 8.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in New Jersey
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.