Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, good through zone 8 — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Oklahoma · Zones 6–8
Fragrant Native Plants in Oklahoma
Native plants with scented flowers or foliage — the ones that make a garden smell as good as it looks. Oklahoma sits in a landscape of Cross Timbers & mixedgrass prairie, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its continental, hot summers character. The list below — led by Woodland Phlox and Chocolate Flower — is filtered to species genuinely native to Oklahoma and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 6–8. 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 Oklahoma
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, spreading 1–2 ft; it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, silvery bracts flowers, flowering as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, rose pink flowers; it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, 2–4 ft wide, flowering as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, hardy in zones 3–9; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, reaching 2.5–4 ft, flowering as 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, lavender-blue flowers, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, cold-hardy to zone 3, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, 1.5–3 ft wide; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, creamy umbels flowers, flowering as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, for clay and loam ground; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Carries a fragrance you'll want within reach, spreading 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Oklahoma
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.