Roses.

Roses. Not many because the deer have disgusting, voracious appetites. But enough that I'm willing to pay $20 per bush. Which means that I wait a whole year just to get one rose that the deer miss. Yesterday I cut them and put them in a vase. Then I set the vase down where ever I was so I could enjoy the rose scent.

Is it worth it to grow a rose that takes a year of watering, fertilizing, pruning, just to get a couple days of scent?

Yes.