My immediate response is Michelia figo (technically now Magnolia figo but most nurseries will sell it under the old name). In fact, if you have a very sheltered area you might try Michelia x alba. I would also consider some night-fragrant plants (Cestrum, Ipomoea, Nicotiana, Brugmansia) and plants that have fragrant blooms in the shoulder seasons, like Osmanthus fragrans.

Dwarf lavender in the sunny area. Nothing sweeter than lavender.

My favorite scented plants come to mind:

- Brunfelsia pauciflora 'Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow'
- Salvas with scented leaves: S. elegans (pineapple scent), S. dorisiana (fruity scent)
- Scented geranium (lemon, apple)

It may be too big (and thorny) for your spot, but when I grew the rose 'Darlow's Enigma' I could pick up the scent from 50 feet away when I stepped out the back door.

Nothing beats Heliotope! (aka "Cherry Pie Plant") and it's happy in part-shade.

Carla in Sac

Do you want fragrance at all times of year, or just the warm months? Daytime fragrance or night time? Fragrance that you have to brush against to smell, or that is inescapable even from a distance? Big plants or only small plants, vines, trees, shrubs, evergreens, deciduous, annuals or perennials? Too many plants, but all with different characteristics. Answer these questions first, or at least prioritize them, and I'll give my suggestions.

I'll assume that you want smaller things for the warm months, and during the day. In this case, I might recommend Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' where you can brush against it, and Corsican mint where you can step on it as you walk about. Some Nicotiana sylvestris for the shady parts if you like towering bold leaved annuals/tender perennials with white flowers. Star Jasmine as a vine against a wall or ground cover for 6 weeks of heaven in summer. Cleveland Sage for sun, next to a bench so you can brush against it. Some Daphne odora marginata and Osmanthus fragrans as winter flowering shrubs for the shady parts. A Brugmansia if you have the room for a small tree, or maybe a Pittosporum tobira for summer fragrance as well. These are some of the fragrant plants that I enjoy using in garden designs.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention Heliotrope, and also Lemon Verbena.

As a small consideration, a dozen or so freesia bulbs tucked in a warm open spot are wonderful to kneel down to and inhale. They don't add much to a 12 month landscape though and I don't think they are worth designing a spot around, but they're sweet extravagances. Nice for youngsters too.

One more thought for your shaded area: sarcococca ruscifolia -- sweet box. Dark green leaves, tiny fragrant white flowers.

And a couple more for your sunny spot: thyme, even the, um, "garden variety" kitchen thyme, is lovely to brush against. I use it to edge my front walkway. And of course rosemary, either upright or trailing.

Bahia asked all the right questions about day/night, winter/summer, evergreen/deciduous and all that, but I'd add one more thought -- your tolerance for bees, and what your nearness to them would be in your sitting area. It's lovely to think of sitting in the midst of a beautifully scented garden, less so if you are in too much proximity to a multitude of our flying friends as they forage in your aromatic paradise.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will have to read up on all of them because I am not very familiar with all these plants that were mentioned - and here I was thinking that there were limited choices!

bahia, I do not care if the plants are big or small, as I am going to do that area from scratch. But, I would like to avoid large trees. And I would definitely be able to train vines on my garage wall. I would eventually put a bench there to sit in a fragrant garden in the evenings.

I would love to have some plants that are so fragrant that you could simply smell the flowers while walking past them - like Michelia Alba and Jasmines. I also would like some that I can brush against to smell them.
Again, thanks!

I'd like to recommend an additional Osmanthus, Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Varietagus'. When we moved to our house 8 years ago, there was a large one of these near my back patio door. The varigation is interesting, but when it blooms in late fall/early winter, the smell is intoxicating. The blooms are very insignificant, hardly even noticable, but that smell is glorious. Especially for the time of year when there's not much going on. I don't know how easy it is to get one of these but maybe worth looking for.

Elaine

Another Osmanthus...O. fragrans AKA Sweet Olive, has delicious fragrance. Dwarf citrus trees, Honeysuckle, Sinningia tubiflora, tuberose, ginger are some other fragrant plants not yet mentioned.

How wonderful to be planning around fragrance. I'm all about fragrance in the garden. Since you're in the Bay Area, you are near Annie's Annuals in Richmond. The website has a list section, and there is a very helpful fragrant plant list where you can get ideas for both annuals and perennials.

To fill in your area until the more permanent plants fill out, or for use in containers, I recommend the following annuals or plants your can treat like annuals: Stock, nemesia, alyssum, rose geranium, nicotiana alata. A dwarf citrus in a container is wonderful as you can sit close to it. I second heliotrope. Once it finds its stride and is happy in its location, it is a perfume machine. Even good in a container. I think the white is most fragrant, at least where I am.

My favorite lonicera (honeysuckle), Mint Crisp, is just going into bloom, to pick up where the jasmines left off. Absolutely intoxicating. Have fun with fragrance gardening!

I know this is way late, you've probably already chosen your plants, but one of my favorites to have on a deck or around a sitting area is sweet peas. I get the fragrant mixed color packs, and they are just beautiful. I also have nicotiana, jasmine and heliotrope outside my windows.