I highly recommend consulting the book "fragrance in bloom" by Ann Lovejoy- she is in the Seattle area but her writing is very evocative and she has a year round guide for that area which I have adapted easily for my zone. Our climate challenges are very different, here it's too much heat, clay soils, and not enough rain, there it's not enough light or heat hours, and less fertile soils. Our calendar is different too, but asking around at nurseries can tell you when things bloom in your area. Pea, in San Jose

Andrew, I have a NOID yellow angel trumpet, and it smells only of citrus, no baby powder. I do not grow Charles or Dr. Seuss, but I am pretty sure they do not have any baby powder scent, only strongly of citrus, but I could be wrong. These are the two favorite brugs for scent for most people. The pink brugs tend to have the baby powder scent. I also have a Sweetheart (off-white) brug that never really grew very well but the scent is that of a white floral perfume, although not strong. I have read the scent description of New Orleans Lady and I have read from a fellow scent hound that grew both NOL and Charles Grimaldi that they preferred the scent of Charles Grimaldi. I have also heard a few times that Maya is one of the most strongly scented brugs. A brugmansia nursery owner I asked personally said Maya really knocked his socks off compared to his other brugs. I can understand the scent description for night blooming jasmine. Sometimes that hay undertone is there, sometimes it is not. It does not smell like gardenia or jasmine at all. I would describe it as smelling like a pot of boiling honey, sticky and sweet. It also reminds me of grape gum or kool-aid. Some people are repulsed by it but I know many that love it. If trimmed well, it will grow very densely and makes a nice hedge. It can get scraggly if left to its own devices. It blends in well with the other tropical foliage in my yard. Gardenias have always been a maintenance free plant for me. I don't think I could kill one if I tried. If you do not want to grow G. jasminoides there are others. Supposedly, Vietnamese Gardenia is easier to grow, is close to everblooming, and can survive zone 9 winters. I have not grown it so I cannot confirm this. The best daytime scents for me in Florida are my Rangoon creeper, my rose garden, and my gardenia when it does bloom. There is an orange grove across the lake and it smells like heaven in the spring. Very strong. My Rangoon creeper is the single kind and it smells great during the day. I hate to break it to you but your criteria are pretty hard to fill. Extremely day fragrant, tropical plants that will survive zone 9 winters leaves you few choices. Jasminum sambac survives well in the ground for me here. I live in zone 9 central Florida. There are other types of jasmine that will survive to zone 7 or 8 but you may dislike that they do not look too tropical. I believe there are other jasmine that will survive zone 9 such as Jasminum tortuosum which has more tropical foliage. I think you may just have to do some experimenting and see what will survive for you. Winter protection such as string lights and sheets or freeze cloth may be necessary for the kind of plants you want. Other plants I would recommend would be: Aloysia virgata (Almond bush): it grows large and the foliage does not look very tropical but it will survive zone 8 winters and many love its sweet almond scent that wafts very well. With time, this becomes a very large bush. Murraya paniculata: it will survive zone 9 winters and has a very nice, strong scent. It blooms regularly. It is a rather inconspicuous looking plant but it fits all of your criteria. You could plant multiples for more scent and shape it into a nice hedge as it does this very well. Supposedly it carries a disease that can kill citrus plants and has been banned in Florida although I have seen some older specimens that were planted before that happened that are still around. Aglaia odorata (Chinese perfume plant): may survive zone 9 winters with some leaf damage but should bounce back according to what I read. Has a far reaching lemony scent that is elusive when close to the bush. Very interesting plant that seems to be on everyone's want list. Michelia figo (Banana shrub) : a type of subtropical magnolia with banana scented flowers that blooms in the spring. I've heard the scent described from soft to strong and wafting. It does not grow nearly as large as other magnolias so it may be a good choice for you. It grows well in the south and is hardy to zone 8. Clerodendrum phillipinum (Cashmere Bouquet): Very strongly scented, if not invasive bush. This is hardy to zone 9 and will bounce back after a freeze. However, it spreads via underground runners and will probably try to take over your yard. Your winters may keep it in check. Blooms very frequently. Pull up runner plants when they are young. I hear rave reviews about the fragrance of this one to the point of wanting to grow it myself despite its aggressive qualities. I will probably try it in a pot. Brunfelsia australis: (Yesterday, today, and tomorrow): Flowers that open purple and fade to white. It's reported to have a strong jasmine scent. I have not smelled this one. There is another Brunfelsia that looks exactly like this one that has no scent, so watch for that. Beautiful bush that blooms heavily. Hardy to zone 9. This is about all I can come up with. If I can think of anything else I will let you know.

IME any gardens that use masses of bulbs then have to dig them and replace with other plants if you want a countinuously blooming, attractive bed. That is because the bulb foliage needs to remain long enough for the bulbs to store food for next year's blooms, but daffodil foliage tends to flop and smother all but the sturdiest plants such as shrubs unless there are spaces without bulbs. So you can create smaller puddles of bulbs that can be hidden by the foliage of emerging perennials, or you can have a large area of bulbs followed by a couple weeks of downright ugly aging bulb foliage and then plant annuals when the bulbs begin dying back to have flowers for the summer, but I think that your vision of a solid mass of flowering bulbs followed perennials or other bulbs isn't too realistic. IME the large Alliums bloom with the late daffodils, though this might not be the case with an area with a lengthier spring than northern New England. I have layered bulbs in pots to increase bloom length, but not in the garden, and it has been fine since the early crocus have very fine leaves that don't interfere with other plants. I have planted lily bulbs and clematis in a close radius, but the lily stems and leaves remain upright and green all season, unlike the spring bulbs. Be aware that in many areas tulips are difficult to grow to bloom since they are much loved by deer and squirrels for munching. Some crocus are pest resistant while others aren't, so if you have voles, squirrels, or deer, prepare to either use protective sprays or suffer some disappointment. Daffodils are pest resistant and IME muscadine reproduce so quickly that they continue despite being eaten, though in future years the spaces might not look so tidy. I am not trying to be discouraging, but it doesn't make sense to invest the time and money in such a project if you haven't grown them before. Just like clothes are shown on handsome and beautiful models, rather than ordinary looking folks, catalog photos are taken under ideal circumstances for those plants (in this case your bulbs) and that doesn't mean that it will be ideal for other plants in the same area. That said, Monarda might be a good perennial to use with since it is pretty difficult to kill, and butterfly bushes are shrubs, so can avoid the bulb foliage. I like kiminpl's suggestion to do a smaller trial before a large investment of money and the time and energy to plant so many bulbs. Find out if all 3 kinds of bulbs even bloom together (they don't in my garden) and how you feel about old bulb foliage. See if the kinds of tulips you are considering will be perennial in your garden or if you will have to replant them most years to get full flowering since some tend to only produce foliage in future years, no blooms.

Rachel, My theory is......Lack of fragrance in a well known fragrant rose can sometimes be attributed to a trace mineral deficiency in th soil in which it is planted. I believe a newly planted fragrant rose will occasionally be scentless until it's roots spread out further into the soil, which takes a year or two, and the available trace minerals, if present, are thereby accessed. Then fragrance kicks in. This is all my theory, Rachel, no scientific proof, but plausible. Try this, it can't hurt. Apply AZOMITE at the rate of 2 level tablespoons (30ml), around the base of your Memorial Day, every two months during your rose's active growing season. Water it in, no need to scrape the soil, just sprinkle the AZOMITE, dry, in the soil's surface. Continue your regular fertilizer program, and keep watering up to optimal levels. You've got nothing to lose. Moses