Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, reaching 3–4 ft, flowering as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
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Rhode Island · Zones 6–7
Fragrant Native Plants in Rhode Island
Native plants with scented flowers or foliage — the ones that make a garden smell as good as it looks. Rhode Island sits in a landscape of Narragansett coastal lowland, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cool, humid, maritime character. The list below — led by Swamp Milkweed and Woodland Phlox — is filtered to species genuinely native to Rhode Island and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 6–7. 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
11 native species for Rhode Island
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, 12–18 in wide; it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Worth a spot by a path or door for the scent, spreading 1.5–2 ft; it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, cold-hardy to zone 3 — it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, happy in clay and loam soil, flowering as 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, lavender-blue flowers, flowering as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Fragrant in flower or leaf — site it where you'll catch it, cold-hardy to zone 4, and it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, 6–12 ft wide; 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, spreading 6–12 ft, flowering as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Scented enough to plant where you brush past it, good through zone 9; 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, 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Rhode Island
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.