Specimens trained into tree form and grown in locations protected from winter frosts can be stunning. A tubbed plant can have more than 20 flowers open simultaneously and greet you with a musky scent from 25 feet away. If you chance leaving yours in the ground over the winter, root cuttings as an insurance policy. And yes, Brugmansias and their Datura relatives are highly toxic when ingested. When choosing roses for a fragrant garden, be aware that many modern hybrid teas have been bred for form and size of flowers rather than scent.
Antique varieties are more often fragrant and often possess greater disease tolerance as well.
The David Austin hybrids are touted as retaining the pleasing characteristics of old roses while blooming for longer periods, but of these we have so far found only 'Heritage' to be worthy of garden space. Crinum erubescens, hardy to zone 8, tolerates harsh growing conditions from a baking position in sun to swampy habitat, producing fragrant blooms at intervals during warm weather. It spreads by rhizomes. C. erubescens is often confused with the similar C. americanum, a Gulf Coast native that thrives as an aquatic plant. Other fragrant Crinums include C. 'Ellen Bosanquet' and Amarcrinum 'Fred Howard'.