my one tree peony is considered by me, borderline in my z5 ...

you mention sheltered.. which might be a little microclimate..

but you dont mention which direction the door faces... and the eave...

will there be enough sun for such a big flowered plant ...

the bigger the flower.. the more important that it have proper sunlight ...

ken

A Korean Spice Viburnum will get you fragrant flowers. A nice burgandy to wine red fall color.

You'd have to seek a dwarf variety like Spice Island.

I also really like Blue Shadow Fothergilla. The blue would pop off the burgandy foilaged plants. They tend to like slightly acidic soil but do good with slightly alkaline as well.

What about a dwarf Japanese maple?

My suggestion for this high profile spot is something unique, very long bloom time or multi-seasonal interest.

IMO, Peonies are overrated. They are great for a couple weeks and then take a digger the rest of the year. So only good in a mixed border application.

Sorry, forgot to mention the sun situation. This spot has the house to the north of it and the garage to the east. It is open to the south and mostly open to the west (neighbor's house shades it in the late afternoon). It is more sheltered especially from the wind than any other spot in my yard. It gets about 6 hours of sun mostly in the afternoon. I've got other full sun plants around it and they all do well.

I have a tree peony in a corner of the backyard. It's two years old and does well there. It had three blooms last year and was really pretty. But I have no idea what they look like when they get older and whether the foliage stays nice all year. I was thinking spring flowering might be okay since I've got lavender along the path to the door that bloom in the summer that provide a lot of fragrance.

I love Japanese maples, but they're iffy here and my husband doesn't like them. I hadn't considered them for this spot. It would be more sheltered but I don't know that I could get my husband to agree to one there. I've have to think about it.

I'll look up the Viburnum. That does sound like a good idea.

I did look at the Viburnum and the Fothergilla but both have white flowers and I'm worried that they wouldn't stand out against my house which is white. There is a Viburnum called Spiced Bouquet that has pink flowers but I'm not sure how that would look either.

What color do you want? How important is the bloom? More so than fall color?

Have you considered Hydrangea paniculata? Perhaps the cultivar 'Tickled Pink'.

How about a shrub rose that behaves itself better than the one you had? Not sure about hardiness though in your zone. Probably the selection is smaller.

I am not familiar with the Hydrangea 'Tickled Pink', but 'Quickfire' is good. Its blooms turn pink pretty quickly.

I got a new-ish Weigela last year that has nice burgundy foliage. It was a good size for a foundation. I can't recall the name of it, but it was one I had never heard of before. weigelas generally leaf out late though so keep that in mind.

One of those dwarf lilacs? only if very disease-resistant though. That would not be a good spot for mildew.

I'd prefer a dark color, somewhere in the red to blue range. I don't need fall color. I've got some other things going on in that border in the fall so lack of fall color won't hurt it.

Scent is the most important factor. It's going right next to the living room window and right next to the front door. The Bloomerang lilac might be my best choice if the foliage stays decent all year. I am still considering the Spiced Bouquet Viburnum.

Do Hydrangea's or Weigela's have a scent?

I was considering another rose, but the hardy roses are usually scentless and the non-hardy ones take a while to get going in the spring and generally don't form a nice bush shape here in Wisconsin.

Are lavenders hardy in your area? They can get respectable size in time and the scent is longer lasting than any 2-week flowering shrub. Perhaps you could layer a few of them in front of a more conventional shrub.

For reds...
Take a look at serveral of the Easy Elegance series roses. For example 'My Hero'.

Red Prince Weigela is another option...not sure if the habit works for you.

I've got lavender along the front walkway right next to where this shrub would be. That's part of why spring flowering would be nice since the lavender doesn't get going until July.

Most of the Easy Elegance roses that I've seen don't have much of a scent. They haven't impressed me much but I'm really a hybrid tea girl.

I do like the Weigela's but I've never smelled anything from them. And leafing out late wouldn't work well in this spot. The smoke bush on the end has the same issue and I'm barely willing to put up with it.

Is there any chance you can post a picture of the site? indicating what was already planted or planned. I was thinking a large perennial might be an alternative, since "4 feet wide" sounds like it could be the limiting factor. Something like Angelica gigas would be very unusual, but I'm not experienced with it. I have a 'Wine and Roses' weigela, it has an arching vase shape with burgundy foliage and small dark pink trumpet blooms in spring that sounds like you'd like.

Oh I forgot to ask, have you considered the old stand-by Prunus cistena? They've gotten a bad rap, but they're hardy, they smell great, and they take a fair amount of abuse. We had one at the last house that got ran over (someone hit the front porch) and it recovered.

Here is a link that might be useful: Prunus cistena: Purpleleaf Sand Cherry

Here's the rose that is in the spot now.

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It made it to the roof by fall (and onto the front step) which is why it has to move. I'll look and see if I can find a picture of the whole border. Unfortunately I can't take pics right now since there's a giant snowdrift there.

If it gets that tall and if you do like the rose, maybe it would work out if you put a tall trellis there perpendicular to the house and also on the other side of the steps and connect them on the top... a casual sort of portico/arbor. Get another climbing rose for the other side of the steps.

Then just keep the canes on the outer side of the trellis and enjoy it in safety.

This will give you all season interest, but alas, no fragrance
WEEPING CARAGANA
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or salix "hakura Nashiki" a noninvasive root type with lovely red stems in the winter.
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or perhaps an ornamental grass
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and then for fragrance add some spring bulbs like hyacinths and later lilies which take minimal space and smell great.
Have fun figuring out what will work best for you.
Flora

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to go with the Spiced Bouquet Viburnum if I can find one locally.