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I couldn’t resist highlighting the Aphrodite Sweetshrub – a plant that brings back fond childhood memories. I remember visiting a neighbor’s old home and smelling the sweet scent of Carolina Sweetbush, a shrub once common in yards across the Deep South and native to that region.

The Stellar Pink Dogwood is a hybrid of the American Dogwood (Cornus florida) and Chinese Dogwood (Cornus kousa), developed by Elwin R. Orton Jr. at Rutgers University. Though modest in size, this upright deciduous tree with gracefully layered branches makes a beautiful accent for front yards and small garden spaces.

When I hear the common name “Forsythia,” I often picture a medium-sized shrub covered in bright yellow, bell-shaped flowers. The “White Forsythia” has similar small, white bell-shaped blooms, though I must admit, it’s not as showy as its more popular cousin.

A true sign of spring, winter aconites typically begin blooming in Ozark gardens by mid-winter, emerging after a brief warm spell and hinting at the season ahead. This low-maintenance, tuberous perennial belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), with flowers resembling its close relatives.

Miscanthus, also known as Maiden grass or Chinese silver grass, is a clump forming perennial grass and depending on the variety grows from three to six feet in height. It is native to the lowlands of Japan, China and Korea.