Here's another suggestion, The Gift, which is a polyantha, but a BIG one. It is only a single. However, when in bloom it is quite spectacular. The whole plant is covered in fragrant white flowers. Easily makes it to 4 feet in California. Very bushy and round. No knees visible at all. I took a picture of Eurodesert's plant on May 8, 2011 when it was just starting to bloom: Someone else bought it, but I really liked it, and after it had been dug up and shipped, there was still a tiny sprig left in the ground where the huge mother plant had been. I asked Cliff Orent if I could have it, and he said yes, so I pulled that tiny sprig out of the ground with my gloved hand and stuck it in one of the 15 gallon pots I had purchased. Brought it home. Didn't expect it could possibly live with such rude treatment. Stuck it in the ground with a little potting soil. It took root and is now about a foot high. The link at HMF shows the same mother plant as my photo but taken when in full bloom. I don't know the date it was taken but the plant doesn't appear as large as it did in May of last year. Other pics on HMF indicate it can get big. It sure can put on impressive displays of flowers! Parentage on HMF doesn't appear to be certain (see Member Comments for discussion). I don't know about its bs resistance. On HMF there are gardens listed as growing it in Maryland, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York. One of the New York gardens is the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, and I believe they select roses for disease-resistance. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: The Gift at Eurodesert Roses, Morongo Valley, CA

Chris, Osmanthus fragrans blooms heavily in the late fall. Mine just finished with a strong flowering period, almost as heavy as the spring bloom. In another form, Eleagnus was suggested as a possibility. You can easily look it up and compare with what you've seen/smelled. I'll bet that it's the Tea Olive (Osmanthus), though.

I have the small gardenias in my yard. I'm not sure what cultivar they are, but they were called Mini-gardenias or creeping gardenia. They are very low (about 1 foot high) evergreen and produce a lot of flowers. The only issue I had with them was when they almost died with the Easter freeze in 2007. But they've come back strong. I was thinking of getting a few more. I've never had to prune them, which makes them a lot less work than the mini-boxwoods that always have to be clipped back.

There are some viburnums that provide showy and wonderfully fragrant flowers in early spring--many viburnums don't have fragrant flowers so do your homework before buying! (Better yet, buy them in bloom.) Calycanthus has spring flowers with a rather odd sweet/fruity fragrance. Buddleia has fragrant flowers (some more so than others) all summer and as a bonus is irresistible to butterflies. Buddleias are very tough, drought-tolerant plants that do well in poor sites. I'm not a big fan of roses, but there are many that provide fragrance. Various Osmanthus will provide late fall fragrance, and Sarcococca species bloom in winter. Neither has showy flowers, but they are attractive evergreen shrubs and provide fragrance when few other plants do. Aside from shrubs, don't neglect hardy perennials and bulbs. Lilium regale is very fragrant and has been hardy and reliable in my garden, although the blooming period is far too short. BTW you should also check out the fragrant plants forum for more suggestions, probably far more than you will get here. Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help at the local nurseries. Behnke's in Beltsville is one of the all-around best in our area, and their staff are usually pretty knowledgeable and can provide you with all kinds of suggestions. Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrant plants