bush idea needed

I have a small spot next to my back door that is in full southern exposure sun that I would like to put a small bush/shrub. I want something that flowers, preferably fragrant and is easily found at Lowes or Home Depot, nothing I need to send off for. The problem is that the area is less then 2 ft wide, not a lot of room to work with.
Thanks for any ideas you can offer.

Sounds like you need something easy and basic for that spot. How tall do you want it? If not too tall, maybe one of the following would work:

Bowles wallflower
Marguerite
Some sort of Salvia
Felicia (probably too short)

Or for better fragrance, how about a rose?

Thanks Jills, the wallflower would probably be the best choice from you suggestions. I am going to add it to my spring list to watch for it. I have what I thought was a mini rose tree there now but turns out to not be miniature at all, and I am constantly having to prune it and end up losing out on blooms. Going to be removing it this spring. I went out and measured the area and it is not 2 ft wide, it is only 18 inches.

I think there are some Abelias that stay pretty small. I would suggest a dwarf gardenia cultivar, but I've had atrocious luck with them in full sun, and you probably get a few degrees warmer than I do in the summer so I'm not sure how much chance it would have. Would it be an area where you could put up a trellis and grow a vine instead of a shrub? There are tons of fragrant vines that should do well there.

I have great success with gardenias on my east side under the shadecloth roof, but never can keep one alive in the sun. But that surely would smell wonderful, wouldn't it? Your trellis idea is a darn good one, I could probably do it, maybe go a short trellis and plant a jasmine there...hmm, I will think about that. Thanks for the idea! I have seen the abelia's in the nursery in bush form, I have one that has been trained into a standard on a braided trunk, never noticed a smell though. I am going to add them on my list of ones to watch for because my little standard does bloom profusely. Thanks Liz, I appreciate your input. :~)

Most of the abelias are fragrant, but a lot of them you need to stick your nose right into the flowers to notice it, not like gardenias where the smell jumps out at you. So I'm not sure if it does any good that they're fragrant then! I have Abelia chinensis which I've found to be more noticeably fragrant than the normal Abelia x grandiflora cultivars that you find everywhere. But it doesn't have as long of a bloom period, and I haven't seen it locally nearly as much (and I'm not sure how big it gets) If it weren't for the stupid apple moth I'd offer you cuttings of mine, but as far as I know I'm still quarantined :-(

I am really liking the trellis idea, that common jasmine that you see all over, I think it is confederate, is probably what I would put there. Not only is it readily available and freeze proof, but it really fills an area with fragrance and it is not an aggressive vine, tends to want to shrub more then anything. Although, as I am typing this, I am remembering that I have that south african jasmine in the garage...smells good but not frost hardy like the confederate... boy, the wheels are turning! LOL

Pretty sure I have only seen 1 variety of abelia at the nursery, the light pink and I only know that because of my standard. Every single time I see them I think, oh, thats pretty, what is it? Then I see the name and smack myself in the forehead. Duh.
Scary, but true.

I would NOT recommend the 'Bowles Mauve' erysimum, or wallflower! It likes sun and dry conditions, certainly, but it is a very stiff, prickly, 5' tall and wide shrub. I've grown several of them - I love erysimums, but the BM will certainly not fit in a 2' space by any stretch of the imagination. Pruning will ruin its natural shape, which is a large bowling ball.

With only 2' wide you are looking at a dwarf or similar shrub. Sometimes like the green or gray santolinas, or if you can keep it watered, a dwarf canna would also work. If you don't mind thorns, you can grow miniature roses, which are in the 2x2' range, but few of them are fragrant.

Here's a photo of the BM plant, about 2 yrs old, behind a 'Sundowner' phormium. By way of scale, each one of those concrete blocks forming the walls is 7" across.

wow, I had no idea they got that big, thanks for letting me know! I am thinking I will probably go with a vine there as Liz suggested and then I can have the smell I am wanting and it will be easier to wind a stray vine then constantly prune back a bush. Unless I find the perfect fragrant bush, see how fickle I am? LOL
I do not find roses attractive in the least, the only appeal is bud stage and fragrance and I think fragrance is a thing of the past with most roses. I am having no qualms about digging out the one that is there, just wondering how I convinced myself to get it in the first place! LOL
Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the help you are giving me. :~)
Donna

Hi Donna,
Just to get you going, why not 2 vines? If you did your evergreen jasmine you could so a cool clematis with a bright color, like red or purple. Then you could have the two flowers, one with scent, and the bare stems would be covered in winter. And, by the way, how are ya??
Rebecca

LOL, hey Rebecca, you always have esp with me. I think about you, realize we have not emailed lately and boom, there you are. I was going to send you an email this week to check in with you. LOL Scary. All's well here, still gonna send that email.

You know what I decided? I was out scouting around yesterday to see what I could find, and I have a pot with a trellis that has the evergreen jasmine and a distictis riversii in it, have had it on the east side and not getting enough sun, this would be perfect for that spot! I would get the jasmine fragrance and the gorgeous purple distictis trumpet flowers. Not to mention it would get a pot out of the way. One less thing to water by hand, and that is a good thing! :~)

Oh golly, I am so sorry Donna. Now there is no excuse to go to a nursery and shop, what fun is that?? But it sounds awesome and I think its very cool to keep it in a pot, that way you can move it around as needed. Will look forward to your email. We will talk diets.....NOT.

LOL, I just sent you that email, forgot to attach our Christmas pic to it so you could know I have stuck to my diet. LOL Probably just as well, you have dial up.
And you are sadly mistaken if you think already having the plant is going to stop me from going to the nursery and shopping, I can't believe you would even think that! LOLOL

My only problem may be that the trellis thats in the pot is not going to be the right size for the area. I think I want a taller one there and that may pose a problem as it's all still green and wound around the trellis in the pot. I had expected it to die back this winter, but apparently the shadecloth on the side where the pot is has been enough to protect it from frost. I will either have to make due with that trellis or try to unwind all the vines. I just don't think I have the heart to cut it all back to change trellis's.
Actually, thinking about it, I could probably just wait until next winter and I think the distictus will die back because it will be more exposed and I could put the trellis I want in then. Wow, such big issues, huh? HA

Or if it's already covered up the trellis pretty well, just stick a 2nd larger trellis behind it, and then as it continues to grow it'll climb up that one too.

Unfortunately, the trellis it is on is not only shorter then I want, but wider and I am afraid it will stick out too far and block some of the doorway. I could measure and clear up the whole mystery, but that would just be too easy. LOL
Actually, the truth is, I keep running over there for stuff, like taking out garbage or opening side door for light for my plants in the garage and never remember until I come back in, that is really the problem, senility. :~)