Sounds like you're looking for a medium-sized shrub. A couple that come to mind are Aronia melanocarpa (Glossy Black Chokeberry) and A. arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry). Glossy Black Chokeberry is a bit hardier, but Red Chokeberry is considered to be more ornamental. A. arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' might be worth seeking out. While the fruit is very showy, birds do not seem to be at all interested in it. I've seen them listed as bird magnets, but my experience would prove otherwise. BTW, these shrubs have very nice fall color. If you want some fragrance in the garden, you could try a couple of the Viburnums, such as V. carlesi (Korean spice) and V x juddii (Judd viburnum). These are marginally hardy in z4, and z3 would really be pushing it. A bit hardier, but still fragrant is Philadelphus (Mockorange). There are several smaller cultivars such as Snowbelle, Buckley's Quill, and Boquet Blanc that might work. For something a bit different, you could try Betula pendula 'Trost Dwarf' (Trost Dwarf European White Birch), which would be in the size range you're looking for. Hardiness is not an issue, but like all Birches it prefers moist/cool soil. Basic

Bill, each comment is helping my brain move forward. I have pondered on keeping the circle bed as it in size and shape but didn't have a good reason to change. Your comment that it screamed formal made me think again because my style is more 'cottage'. Behind the circle bed are rectangular vegetable beds so right now everything is very symetrical. That has bothered me. Your comment plus my desire for some shrubs, esp to attract birds, and the previous suggestions have now led me to think that an odd shaped bed to the left (woods are closer in that direction and there are more trees along the driveway) of the circle bed to interrupt the straight path to the leftmost veggie beds will break up that symmetry and make everything relate better to the country stone walls and random maples. Also, I can put tall things in this area since our view is more to the right. This irregular shaped bed can also be much larger and help keep attention to the yard. The green veggie beds blend into the meadow view except for their geometry and darker green. Right now the distant field is full of goldenrod. In the recent past it was planted to cow corn and plans are to use it as a hayfield. (As I understand it there has to be a 3 year fallow period because of the herbicides used on it. This was it's 3rd summer.) Nhbab's suggestions for shrubs and birdhouses fit those on my wish list. An irregular shaped bed to the left with taller shrubs including a crab apple will fit that location and break up the rigid symmetry that I had started. I think one clump of an unusual coneflower in that bed would be fun and make design sense. I didn't realize there were so many coneflower varieties until I explored the perennial thread yesterday. My shrub budget can be spent here because now I understand that I don't want to put a lot of time and money into future landscaping on the back side of the house we will only enjoy in summer. My MIL loved flowers and shrubs but started dotting her yard with shrubs which bugged my FIL because it made mowing more difficult. I have bought some gardening books and magazines and taken quite a few local garden club tours but still felt lost when it came to planning my own yard. I am so surprised by how much progress I have made with all your help in just a few days. Bill, I want some roses but I'm not sure where yet!

looks like nice parkland! are those fruit trees or just ornamental? by the way, some growers from thailand ship internationally - it all depends on agro import rules where you are and how fast the plants can ship so as not to die! may be better selection/shipping from australia? rainy Hilo on big island in hawaii /carribbean/thai/philippines/aussi tropics - would be similar to your area somewhat. there are subsets of garden web for australia/europe/etc i'll poke around to find some links for seed/fruit shippers in asia. i like learning and reading about tropical anything :). by the way you should have some incredible alocasia/colocasias (elephant ears) locally - are you familiar at all with them? colocasias are edible. prime example is taro - traditional hawaiian crop. not that i like it myself. but there are various kinds of very tasty tropical sweet potatoes that you might grow instead: yams, batatas, boniatos (cuban white sweet potato). also you should be able to grow monstera deliciosa - it produces an edible large fruit (cousin of swiss cheese houseplant). peas like it cool, but some beans can def take hot/humid like lima beans and some you can eat fresh from the pod. and all are available as seeds. e.g. from australia but shipping only locally - see tropical beans at the end. http://www.greenharvest.com.au/SeedOrganic/VegetableSeeds/Beans.html it's worth looking into indian stuff (which i know very little about, except i can see it in the freezer in the supermarket!). they grow all sorts of beans/long squashes in the steamy south. oh, you might be able to get some seeds/info/sites thru UK on that! found what i think is a good place in philippines (at list to start looking, not sure about international shipping) - info on fruit trees.ships nursery trees. http://www.dizonexoticfruittrees.com/index2.htm it was referenced last year - Q on shipping/visting with recommendation on http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=3111.0 seems to be a very active and useful forum too! here some useful links info/growing hawaii/fl/china http://www.lycheesonline.com/links.cfm this is Caribbean puerto rican site(us territory): they ship internationally. even just getting familiar with names can take time:) http://www.montosogardens.com/tropical_fruit_trees.htm

"probably another plant for the trade Saturday" Matt, I'd wait to see what this one looks like when it blooms. IME most of the viburnums are well worth their space with spring flowers and gorgeous fall color. It may not be large yet, but it now has its feet under it and should grow more quickly and help fill in your border. I personally prefer plicatum to opulus.