I have not seen. nor smelled this one myself, but do you think it might be Red Ginger (Alpinia purpurata)?

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Ginger

Fragrant gingers are wonderfully scented - my yellow butterfly is blooming right now & it is truly heavenly.

But according to this page, most Alpinias are not fragrant - perhaps further investigation might be in order.

Hedychiums are fragrant & there is a red one, but they don't look exactly like that photo aboveâ¦

Here is a link that might be useful: Fragant Hawaiian Flowers & Plants

It seems as though it is indeed a red ginger. I will investigate further and see for sure if it is the fragrant plant I smell. The link that Gyr_Falcon posted seems to indicate that red gingers are fragrant.

Thanks for your help, and I'll keep you updated :)

I agree with the ID. I also wasn't aware of a perfume, though some of the gingers are . I found this interesting blog on them, and thought I'd share it. Particularly about the babies forming on the dying flowers - something worth watching out for (or asking the owner if you could share???)

Here is a link that might be useful: alpinia blog

Okay, I have discovered (through the help of a florist) that this is not the plant that smelled so good in the garden. I am going to go back and photograph every flower I find, and maybe then I can figure out what it is that smells so amazing.
Thanks again for all your help,
Diana

Hi again,
I found out that the plant I kept smelling was a Heliconia.
Now the problem is, which kind of Heliconia smells the best?

Again, thanks for all the help!
-Diana

Hi again,
I found out that the plant I kept smelling was a Heliconia.
Now the problem is, which kind of Heliconia smells the best?

Again, thanks for all the help!
-Diana

I'm not aware of any heliconias with a perfume. Did you go back to take more photos of that garden bed? Could there be any orchids or such on the trees? Is this garden bed on public land or in someone's garden - in the latter case I'd risk introducing myself, or even leaving a note in their letterbox, asking if you could call and find out what the beautiful perfumed plant is. (But then, I have no shame when it comes to plants :-) )

I found a site that lists some fragrant Hawaiian plants and links to descriptions/photos. Maybe you will recognize one of them from the garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrant Hawaiian Plants