Definitely Thunderchild crab and double flowering plum. Also I really like Diablo ninebark and spireas.

Laurie's double-flowering plum is gorgeous. I like mountain ash but you already have one. If you want a full-sized shade tree my favourite is Linden (basswood) (Tilia americana). Nice growth habit, giant heart-shaped leaves and the flowers are insignificant but smell pretty. It doesn't make any kind of a mess with fruit or insects. In my old house I had a Little-Leaf Linden (Tilia cordata) but I didn't like it as much.

My favourite shrub is Philadelphius (mock orange) but people on this forum seem to have a hard time getting them going the first few winters. I second spireas too, they are so useful and there are so many kinds.

There are some really nice ornamental maples but I don't know what kind I have so I can't advise you there.

I love my Korean Maple (acer pseudosieboldianum) though I know they are borderline hardy in some areas.

Sutherland golden elder (sambucus racemosa) is a neat looking shrub with it's dissected golden leaves (though mine is more of a green due to shade from the apple tree, still nice though).

Boxwood varieties such as 'Green Mountain' have survived fairly well for me in deep snowcover by the deck.

Though they are fairly common, I love cedars for the simple fact that they come in all sizes, especially tall and narrow for a small yard like mine. I also like "shrub sized" conifers such as small mugo pines, birds nest spruce, etc. The time of year that I really appreciate conifers is in late March and April, right after the snow melts. The grass is brown, the trees haven't even begun to leaf out yet, but here you have something already green in the yard.

Glen

Lilacs. You definitely need a lilac. I love Pocohontas (very fragrant) but there are so many - I'd like to get a Beauty of Moscow and a Sensation one day soon.

I also really like Spireas - they look good from early spring to late fall and always seem to have something going on, even reblooming in late summer. Excellent shrubs.

I agree with Laurie about the Diablo Ninebark. Golden Ninebark is also very nice - a beautiful, fresh and bright leaf colour in early spring. It's quite early to leaf out in my yard.

Another one of my favourites, now that it is a nice full shrub, is the silver variegated dogwood (Cornus alba elegantissima). I like the brightness of it as a nice change from green leaves.

Two years ago I planted a Mohican Viburnum and although it's still small, I think this is quickly going to become a favourite of mine. Very cool leathery looking leaves.

I planted a couple of Golden Elder last year - Sutherland Gold and (I think) Aurea. My mom has a stunning Sutherland Gold that I admire - it has potential to be a very large shrub but takes to pruning very well.

Congrats on your new home & garden!

Include some hardy shrub roses too, Therese Bugnet being my favourite.

Sharon

I have a few shrubs I really like.

Saskatoon bushes are first on my list. They give 3 season interest. Spring it has white flowers, summer it has blue berries and nice green foliage and the berries are edible,fall it has red/orange/gold foliage depending on the variety you buy. I planted Amelanchier canadensis and it has red fall colour.

Elders: again I llike their foliage and they also have edible berries.

Lilacs for their fragrance. I have both Sensation, which I'm not impressed with and Ludwig Spaeth which is my favorite not only for the size of the blossoms but for the strong smell. It's dark purple.

Diabolo Ninebark: It has lovely small maple leaf shaped foiage, bronzy pruple in colour.

I also have a Mock Orange which was here when we bought our house. I love the smell. Unfortunatelly I don't know which one it is but is is a double variety.

Good luck deciding! Marg

Linden trees are a good bet and I also recommend the evergreen shrubs mentioned above. Here are some more hardy roses for you to consider: William Baffin and John Cabot are large, but survive anything winter can throw at them. I also have Cuthbert Grant, John Davis, Morden Blush, Roserie de L'Hay and some other Canadian Explorers. Morden Blush tends to have a problem with black spot late in the summer, but if you're vigilant and clip off any early signs of infection, you'll be okay.

I'll chime in--haven't looked at this Forum for a looong time. Hello everyone :)

Ginger, keep an eye on that Mountain Ash--the Emerald Ash Borer is around now, unfortunately. Be especially careful what you 'import' into your yard.

I agree with all the above, nineweb has wonderful bark, and lilacs are a must for spring. You can't go wrong with spirea, either. Have you looked at the Amur Maple? It's very tough, not too big, and has very colorful fall foliage.

Enjoy!

This is a great thread for me. I own a greenhouse/nursery business and I don't sell a lot of shrubs, but I was looking around trying to figure out which spirea to offer. We do grow 'Anthony Waterer' and 'Goldflame' - both nice, but when it comes to bridal wreath I get confused as to which is the best. There's plain old 'bridal wreath' and then there's 'Vanhoutte' spirea and 'Renaissance' spirea - anyone know which is best for sone 4 or colder?

My favorites are Hawthorn, Amur maple and Cherry, Japanese Tree Lilac, other lilacs such as Pochahontas & Beauty of Moscow as mentioned and for shade you could also try an overlooked tree, Ohio Buckeye. I sure like the pines as well. If you've got the room I love Ponderosa Pine.
Kate

Laurie and others have mentioned Thunderchild Crab so often that I've got one on order - my greenhouse neighbor is getting trees/shrubs from a nursery this year, and I've asked her to make sure to get me one, as well as a Mountain Ash. She's getting a lot of stock in - it might be a good time for me to convert another bed I've had in mind to shrubs.

How about the fruit of the crab - if I should plant it in the lawn area, will it fall all over and be messy? Or will it hang onto the tree so hopefully the birds will clean up the fruit?

About 'bridal wreath' spireas - I'm pretty sure mine is Spiraea trilobata Fairy Queen. It has the same blooming form as a bridal wreath and is rock solid hardy. Here's a pic of it in bloom.

Pudge, the Thunderchild crab gets little purple fruit that's about 3/4" wide. I find that about half of them stay on the tree for the winter, and the other half fall off. Mine is now in a bed and I just let them sit and compost into the soil on their own. If you're picky about having your lawn looking perfect, then they may drive you crazy, but they don't bother me.

Thanks Laurie. Yeah, I'm picky but OCD Lawn Boy is even pickier. I've got a spot in mind for expansion outside our bedroom window - still a good spot for seeing the birds who may come to nibble on the fruit.

"OCD Lawn Boy is even pickier"

LOL!!

We've probably got about 3 acres of lawn, so we just can't be that picky or else we'd end up in a padded room!lol
Sounds like you've got a good spot picked out already. Hope it does well for you.

Well I'm definitely not an OCD lawn person, but I do find the dropped fruit quite annoying. The problem is, the tree is in the path to the water barrels and walking on the fruit is like stepping on marbles. I do love this tree, however, so I'll keep raking up the apples.

On the plus side, my tree is also just outside my bedroom window and I enjoy watching the waxwings feast on the apples. And, of course, there's the fragrance when it's in bloom!

My greenhouse neighbor received the trees & shrubs she'll be selling this year. The Thunderchild Crab and Mountain Ash that I wanted were included and are pretty nice looking specimens. I've changed my mind about the placement of the Thunderchild Crab and will instead be planting it in the front yard near the bird arbour - OCD lawn boy will just have to suck it up.

I also picked up a Flowering Almond and a Mugo Pine. I'm pretty sure I'm still going to be choosing a few more things.

My Thunderchild Crabapple's fruit gets devoured by birds every fall.

I'm sure the rabbits/hares/voles/squirrels will eat whatever falls on the ground :)