Roses are the most popular fragrant plant, but few roses boast a perfume that will turn your head.  The following plants have a fragrance you’ll never forget.  Most performs best in a location that gets partial to half sun. 

Stephanotis (Bridal Veil Vine) is a classic with intensely fragrant clusters of white trumpet flowers.  This is a formal, relatively slow-growing, clean vine with leathery, dark green leaves.  Excellent in containers or in beds with excellent drainage.  Blooms from mid-spring to fall.  There is also a cultivar available with variegated leaves. 

Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia) is a small tree with giant leaves and foot-long hanging trumpet flowers.  In addition to its gaudy appearance a potent fragrance will be evident within 20’ of this plant just after sunset.  Available colors are yellow, pink and white. 

Sweet Olive  Your head will spin attempting to find the source of this sweet apricot perfume.  The flowers are tiny (but the fragrance is huge) on this modest upright bush. 

Tuberose  This perennial sends up several tall spikes of fragrant white tubular flowers for several months from mid-summer to early fall.  This plant disappears underground during the winter but is an extremely reliable performer for many years and a favorite with florists. 

True Jasmines (not Star Jasmine) include Arabian, African, Poet’s and Angel Wing.  These bloom most of the year and can be trained into a bush or a vine.  Pink Jasmine is the most popular but has a very heavy bloom only in spring.