Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, lavender flowers, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Illinois · Zones 5–7
Fragrant Native Plants in Illinois
Native plants with scented flowers or foliage — the ones that make a garden smell as good as it looks. For Illinois, the right natives are shaped by Central Tallgrass Prairie and a humid continental climate. Every species below, from Wild Bergamot and Spotted Joe-Pye Weed to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Illinois and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7. 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
13 native species for Illinois
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, mauve-pink flowers — it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, 3–4 ft tall — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, reaching 1–2 ft — it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, hardy in zones 3–8, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, 2–3 ft wide; it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, reaching 2.5–4 ft — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, spreading 1.5–2 ft, and it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, cold-hardy to zone 4, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, for sand, clay, and loam ground; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, 3–5 ft tall — it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, 6–12 ft tall; 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, good through zone 8.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Illinois
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.