Star gazer lily has a wafting scent (at least for me).
Various phlox in my yard have a pungent smell - I like them especially the cultivar David.
All these are blooming in my yard currently.

Usha

not a shrub but my moonflower vines are blooming now and will go on through august. they smell good to me and have pure white, large morning-glory shaped flowers that have a baby-powder(ish) fragrance. an annual vine but the large seeds are easily collected and saved for next season.
perhaps some of the new sterile forms of butterfly bush?
maybe elaeagnus pungens(silverthorn)? that one is on the invasive species plant list for my zone so you should check your state's list before planting.

Seven sons flowering bush.
Blooms end of August, extremely fragrant, then in September you get the red and pink brachts, very pretty. THe trunk is interesting too, like crape myrtle.
It's called the "crape myrtle of the north".
Very hardy in cold weather, it is also hardy in the Southeast, you can keep it small, I do.

Hi, Thanks all.
Uhsa, yes. the oriental lilies are fragrant. I have some growing in my garden. I think some are still blooming. I love the scent.
Jeff, the moonflower, It give me idea. I might grow it next year along the chain link fence.
Butterfly, I stopped by local nursary this weekend. I saw the 7 son plant ( I am glad local nursary carries it). It said can grow quiet tall. How short you can trim it?? Does it grow like a signle trunk tree or multi- trunk like a bush??

Olympia,
Mine is about 3 years old. I cut it back hard every
spring and it is only about 2 feet tall. it grows to about 3-4 feet over the entire summer, then in the spring of next year, I will cut it back again.
i have it on a hill that I don't want it to block the plants abouve the hill, so I purposely keep it small.The bark is unreal, it gets interesting after a couple of years. you can cut it so it only has one stem if you want. They are extremely hardy.
I left mine with the stems, I think I have 3 good size stems, but it is small for it's age.
It has a flower stem already on it, which is early for this bush, but no flowers yet.
They are very fragrant, so don't plant it tooo close to where you would walk or sit, it attracts alot of bees.
You could try it, give it a year or two and see if you like it.
It is early to leaf out, and it is always the last thing in my garden that is blooming, and our fall goes into December.

annual sweet mignonette. long blooming & very strong in the evening.

This is my list. All are fragrant without having to stick your nose in to smell.

MAY - JUNE
SPRING..............................
Spring bulbs.
-Muscari
-Hyacinths
-Fragrant Tulips
'Apricot Beauty':
'Angelique'
'Peach Melba'
-Fragrant Daffodils:
'Geranium'
'Thalia':
'Replete':
VARIOUS Iris

BUSHES TREES FOR SPRING......................
-SAMBUCUS Black Beauty
-Lilac bush - I also picked up Bloomerange Lilac
-Mock Orange

VINES JUNE-JULY
Honeysuckle
various Clematis
Clematis triternata Rubromarginata

SUMMER July-Aug.............................................
BUSHES
SummerSweet

SUMMER BULBS. July-Aug ...............................
Orential Lilies
Casablanca
Stargazer

FALL PLANTS July-Sept
Fragrant Hostas.
-Fragrant Bouquet
-Royal Standard
Daylilies
Knock-out Rose Yellow
(Shrub rose 'Milwaukee's Calatrava') - suggested as fragrant. I will buy this one.
Clematis

Annuals
Stock
MoonFlower
Nicotina
Four O'clocks

Butterfly, thanks for the detailed info. If it can be maintained under 3-4", I can live with it. I am going to check that nursary again in the fall when the plants are on sale.

Freki, Marquest, excellent choices. Plant some annual in between might be another solution. Frankly, among all the fragant blooming plants, annuals, preannual, shrubs, trees, the longest lasting fragrant and wafted plant I have is the old fashion petunia. It blooms none stop ever since it started . Boy, I love its sweet scent!.

In spring time, I have tons of fragrant flowers blooming. lilac, mock orange, sweet william, flowers from various bulbs, iris, etc. which last till sometime in June. after that,there aren't many fragrant in the air. I try to fill the gaps. Butterfly bush zoned to grow in 5 but in reality does not grow/flower reliablbly here. I planted summersweet this spring. it started to bloom in mid-later July. It is done blooming now. Its scent is not as strong and waft as I thought it would be. It may due to its first year, the root system has not fully established yet. Do you have summersweet grow in your yard? What is your comment on this plant?

I did bought a clematis few weeks ago, Sweet Autum. It is supposed to bloom around late Aug to Sept. But it is stilll in container, has not been planted in the ground yet. Does anyone know if there is a fragant trumpet vine that grow in zone 5? My neighbot has one with very showy salmon/orange flowers,beautiful leaves, but has no scent.

I thought knock-out roses are not scented? How strong is the scent? If you get one, please post some commets on its scent.

my late summer fragrance depends on nicotiana. Not the ones with colored flowers you buy as bedding plants--they have no scent to speak of. You want Jasmine Scented Nicotiana. There are other varieties too, always white as far as I know. Easy to start from seed and the fragrance is heavenly. And it wafts!! It perennializes in wamer zones but you can easily grow it as an annual.