Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, for clay and loam ground — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
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- West Virginia
- Fragrant
West Virginia · Zones 5–7
Fragrant Native Plants in West Virginia
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 West Virginia and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for West Virginia's cool, humid, mountainous climate across Allegheny Mountains & Ridge-and-Valley, not a generic list. Local standouts include Scarlet Beebalm and Woodland Phlox. 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 West Virginia
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, lavender-blue flowers; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, spreading 2–3 ft; it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, hardy in zones 4–8, flowering as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, for clay and loam ground, flowering as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, spreading 1.5–2 ft; 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, 2–4 ft tall, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, reaching 6–12 ft, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, chartreuse-gold flowers, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, 1.5–3 ft wide, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, reaching 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in West Virginia
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.