Philadelphus coronarius is a European native that has been grown in gardens since the sixteenth century, valued almost entirely for the intensity of its white flowers and the perfume they carry. Bloom comes in late spring on the previous year's wood, covering the arching 10 to 12-foot shrub with clusters of four-petaled flowers. The scent is rich and citrus-edged, strongest in the evening, and is best appreciated near a patio, a gate, or a path where one passes through it rather than around it.

The honest truth about this shrub is that for the other fifty weeks of the year it is unremarkable — a dense, twiggy mass of arching stems with plain green leaves that contribute little beyond structure. That is not a disqualification; plenty of the most beloved garden plants earn their place through a single concentrated performance. Prune stems back hard immediately after flowering to keep the plant from becoming a leggy tangle, and give it full sun to partial shade in a range of well-drained soils.