For reliability and ease:

Chionanthus retusus - fluffy bloom and intoxicating fragrance -- will tolerate some shade

Viburnum carlesii - Best fragrance of viburnum IMHO and var. compactum can fit almost anywhere

Any Clethra - though "woodsy" anything that smells wonderful, attracts birds, and throws puffy spikes in late summer can't be bad

Prunus triloba multiplex - for sheer feminine beauty I'll take a flowering almond over almost anything (haven't found a good speciman locally, yet, and may need to resort to mail order ...)

Magnolia stellata - When it blooms, I know Spring is really coming

Looking forward to reading everyone's responses!!

Martie

Most of my selections are small because I don't have any room. I'm trying not to duplicate anything on Mindy's and Martie's comprehensive lists.

Daphne caucasica-small shrub, semi evergreen in zone 6 blooms all summer and into fall. Variegated versions like Summer Ice are even better

Fothergilla gardenii-small shrub, cool flower in the spring, great fall color. Blue Mist is a cultivar with bluish foliage.

Stephanandra incisa 'Crispa'-grows in sun or shade, takes dry spots, great for difficult places-walls, banks. Flowers in spring-not showy. The foliage is very detailed and useful as a contrast to fine and bolder stuff

Viburnum opulus Compactum, supposed to be small but with Viburnums small is relative. Flowers in May, heavy berry display from fall through winter. Will cross polinate with V. sargentii.

Spirea 'Ogon', small shrub, chartreuse needle like foliage, white flowers early (April-May), fall color

Hydrangea microphylla 'Lemon Wave', my favorite foliage plant. Who cares if it never blooms?

Abelia grandiflora, dies back in zone 6, small dark glossy foliage, small tubular flowers all summer and into fall.

Salix purpurea 'Nana', medium shrub, can be cut back hard, bluish foliage and reddish stems. Great in a mixed border.

Wiegelas, many cultivars with variegated and purple foliage. Pink to deep pink flowers for long periods that attact hummingbirds.

Sue

ENKIANTHUS CAMPANULATUS. Its spectacular red foliage is one of the most prominent beauties in the landscape right now. Fully the equal of burning bush. Very nice flowers in the spring. This is so easy--absolutely no care whatsovever in my garden. No pests, no diseases, no pruning. Its narrow upright habit would make it great for hedging, I bet. I don't know why everyone doesn't have at least one. Bet its the name.

Aesculus parviflora (Bottlebrush buckeye)- Very handsome, but very large suckering shrub, could form a thickets. Bloom in mid-late July. Full to part sun.

Sambucus racemosa 'Sutherland Gold'-Another large shrub that might be killed to the ground in extreme years, but will grom back 5-8' in a one season. Finely cut yellow/golden foliage emerging in a spring and fading to lime green during the summer. Second pruning in mid-summer will result in a new flush of yellow foliage. Bloom in spring. Best in a part sun, but will tolerate full sun or part shade. In full sun will fade to lime green very fast, in part shade yellow color will be not so prominent.

Acanthopanax (Eleutherococcus) sieboldianus 'Variegatus' (Five-leaf aralia)- med to large size variegated shrub that could tolerate any soils, poor, heavy clay, dry, alcaline or acidic. Will not lose its variegation even in full shade. Suitable for espalier training. Prunable to size and easy to transplant. Deers might be interested in a foliage in a spring.

Additional comment to arbo's choice, Hydrangea paniculata 'Kuyshu'. Though it's a late blooming shrub, as all other paniculatas, Kuyshu is one of the earliest among them. In my garden it start at least 2 weeks before and last for as long as PG. For those who have an issue with PG's floppines (I prefer to call it arching), Kuyshu could be a choice cultivar since it has a distinctly upright habit. Relatively new on a market, Kuyshu is clearly superior to much older and very similarly looking cultivar 'Tardiva' in that respect that Tardiva is the last blooming cultivar of all paniculatas and in z5 and colder you'll not enjoy it for a long time. Even here in z6b I'm thinking about replacing my two remaining Tardivas with Kuyshu.

One more to consider,
Clethra barbinervis-seldomly grown large shrub/small tree (12'+ x 5-6'). Fast growing multistemed shrub that could be easily trained to a single trunk tree. Blooms on new wood in July, after our native Clethra alnifolia.
Could be grown anywhere from part shade to part sun where it will bloom equally well. Major difference will be in a fall where in a part shade leaves would become dirty yellow as it happens to most Clethras, but in a part sun they would be bronze/copper orangish yellow. Very pretty.
Acidic soil is a must. Tolerates wet feet.

Abeliophyllum (White Forsythia) - it blooms much earlier than forsythia and is fragrant. I also love witch hazel, for the same reasons, but that's been mentioned.

If you'd include zone 6 plants, then Jasminium nudiflorum would have to be near the top of my list.

Another favorite deciduous foliage plant is Salix eleagnos angustifolia (aka S. rosmarinifolia, or Rosemary-leaved willow). The texture of the leaves, and the way they move in the breeze revealing the silver undersides, is great and very unusual.

I'll add:

Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki' also called variegated willow. It is more bushy than tree-like, and easily pruned to keep it that way. Variegated leaves during the growing season and red bark in winter. Planted mine last year and they made it through a zone 5 winter just fine and are over six feet tall now.

Cornus alba 'Sibirica variegata'. Very hardy variegated dogwood with bright red winter bark. Would be taller in my garden, but the deer really like to munch on it. The BBC gardening website states: "To keep the size of the plant in check and to encourage the most colourful bark, remove a third of the stems back to ground level each spring." So, I figure the deer are doing me a favor.

But the deer need to cut it to the ground! You need to put something low to the ground to entice them to finish the job :-)

Deciduous azaleas are another great shrub. I have 'Cornell Pink' that blooms very early with no leaves and a nice clear pink. Its a winner.

Another is Swamp Azalea (rhodo. viscosum), 'Pink 'n Sweet"(or something similar, can't look it up right now). It blooms July and the fragrance is heavenly.

Did someone mention itea? This time of year its beautiful. Nothing special the rest of the year. 'Little Henry'

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' didn't get on the list yet??? Has it become overused already :-)

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee' will probably be on my favorite list. I just got it this year and it is still not doing that much but I have confidence it will be my favorite soon.

Salix integra Hakuro Nishiki used to be where 'Pee Wee' was but it was taking over the area in a big way -- even with coppicing it every year. And mine didn't get the pretty pink tips like some. I moved it to another location and off my 'favorite' list.

Although quite common, I do like my Purple Leaf Sandcherry.

Oh, yes, Wendy, that very early azalea is another favorite - R. mucronulatum. Cornell Pink is one named cultivar, I'm not sure if that's what I've got. Mine's a lurid shade of pink, but it's so early that I don't mind.

How could I have forgotten swamp azalea - it's a NE native, by the way.

Someone mentioned deutzia, I think. I started with 3, I believe they're slender deutzia, and I'm down to 1 - which may get the axe next spring. The foliage is uninspiring, messy, actually, the blooms are sweet but short-lived, and are followed by brown seeds that are unattractive.

I like the graceful vase shape and the peeling bark, but for some reason this shrub just doesn't do it for me. Maybe because my yard is so small, or maybe I sited it incorrectly, but the overall effect isn't especially nice.

When you start talking about azaleas you touched my nerves.
Let me endorse the one of the finest of deciduous azaleas,
Rhododendron schlippenbachii aka Royal Azalea.
Large fragrant clear pink flowers and absolutely fantastic kaleidoscope of red/orange/yellow/purple/green/brown/bronze fall colored leaves.
Distinctly more wider than tall, it's a must have for any azalea/rhododendron lover.
Not widely available due to the slower growth rate than more common mucronulatum or poukhanense. If you find it, expect to pay at least twice as much as for the same size mucronulatum.

Can you tell me how early it blooms? I just googled it for some more info, and read that it blooms before it leafs out. That's a big plus, because that's usually much neater, without the problem of mushy flowers sticking to the leaves (a problem with swamp azalea in my garden). ANother site says that it's an "early-midseason" bloomer.

back to deutzia... Nikko is a low growing dwarf. very cute, delicate no fuss. Spreads if you let it. easy to contain.

According to Dirr on schlippenbachii: "one of the finest azaleas, flowers open just as the leaves are expanding; no adequate way to do justice to the beauty of this plant by the written word"

Wow!

He also mentions may do better on high pH and require more calcium than others

Here's a few more...

Aronia arbutifolia...the cultivar I have is called 'Erecta', supposedly more upright and narrow. After the white flowers in spring it becomes somewhat of a backdrop but the fall color is fabulous. Right now it looks like it's glowing.

Leptodemis oblonga, small, fine textured shrub, blooms sporadically all season with small, tubular lavendar flowers.

All the japanese maples are glowing right now too. The small, weeping varieties are pretty easy to keep small and use in the garden as shrubs.

Sue

Just found this gem of a website and couldn't wait to share ..

Martie

Great site, Martie.
Wendy, I wish my deutzia looked like that! That's really pretty. Mine is the ugly stepsister, I'm afraid.

Mindy,
Answering this one is like choosing which one of my three daughters is my favorite, which like every good parent I say is impossible. Then again if I had to chose right now as of this moment it is my oldest who is coming home next weekend for a non stop marathon in Excell instruction in the hopes that I will be able to combine records from junk drawers, sweat shirt pockets, ect. and put together a concise record and maintenance plan for the yard that extends beyond the present "Oh you mean the big bush in the front yard." Oops once again I digress here is my list of favorite shrubs as of November 6 at 10:00am.
1. Myrica pensylvanica I have fallen for the quiet elegance of this plant
2. Ilex glabra compacta & shamrock I love how these shrubs work well in both full sun formal situations as well as shady woodland.
3. Ilex koehne Wirt L Winn beautiful large leaf and great berries
4. Ilex pendunculosa
5. Ilex meserveae all blues, and Nellie R Steven
6. Ilex Rock Garden
7. Spirea pink flowering - what a color work horse
8. Hydrangea macrophylia Altona great depth of color vivid blue/purple, good fall color, nice leaf, consistent bloomer.
9. Hydrangrea macrophylia Niedersachen great color and delicate petals.
10. Hydrangea Lilacina nice lacecap lavender petal blue center with added interest of great fall leaf color
11. Hydrangea quercifolia both Queen and Snowflake
12. Vaccinium corymbosum Blue Ray
13. Vaccinium angustifolium
14. Clerodendrum trichotomum
15. Callicarpa japonica Luxurians just when I think all of the excitement has left the garden.
16. Viburnum nudum Wintethur great fall color
17. Viburnum burkwoodii really formal shrub and the flower scent in spring is intoxicating
18. Viburnum setigerum Aurantiacum wow the orange peach berries in the fall next to the burgundy leaves of Hydrangea Quercifolia.
19. Chamaecyparis obtuse Nana
20. azeala Polly Hills Yuka
21. Rhododendron Cunninghams White re-blooms in the fall

This is a great thread I have already added too many selections to my spring wish list. I am particularly lusting after the swamp azalea. Katy

Someone did mention "Little Henry", but I don't think I saw red chokeberry. I wanted a native shrub that looked like it has always been there--small clusters of flowers in May and beautiful orange to bright red color in the fall, with small berries. I agree on the Virburnums (if the beetles don't eat it).

While I am really really enjoying all the responses to my posting(i am learning so much; hoorah!)i just want to warn those of us z. 5'ers that our very learned z. 6 and 7 friends are posting here and , while i haven't researched all of their suggestions yet, i think they might have sneaked in some non-z.5-hardy shrubs!! but hey, even if we go to research these things, only to find that some are non-hardy for us, at least we will know what to ooh and aah over when we visit their gardens someday!!

Hey, as far as I'm concerned, you snuck some non-hardy shrubs in on this. Forsythia x intermedia isn't a zone 5 plant if flowers are part of the package. OTOH, 'Northern Sun' has definitely earned a place in my garden.

If you can find them, species and hardy shrub roses are well worth growing. R. hugonis is one of the best, and R. moyesii 'Geranium' has one of the most amazing flower colors in plantdom (black-light red). R. glauca is somewhat self-explanatory. I've learned the early leaf loss is an advantage, it allowed the red ripe hips to be seen.

Oops sorry my intent was not to confuse or to incite "wonton lust" it was just pure ignorance. Mindy its good that you brought this up because I think I added the same frustration and confusion to the plant swap. Think I am going to move on to Mid Atlantic.just a square peg. Katy

Mindy,
Answering this one is like choosing which one of my three daughters is my favorite, which like every good parent I say is impossible. Then again if I had to chose right now as of this moment it is my oldest who is coming home next weekend for a non stop marathon in Excell instruction in the hopes that I will be able to combine records from junk drawers, sweat shirt pockets, ect. and put together a concise record and maintenance plan for the yard that extends beyond the present "Oh you mean the big bush in the front yard." Oops once again I digress here is my list of favorite shrubs as of November 6 at 10:00am.
1. Myrica pensylvanica I have fallen for the quiet elegance of this plant Zone (2) 3 to 6 suspect to 8
2. Ilex glabra compacta & shamrock I love how these shrubs work well in both full sun formal situations as well as shady woodland. Zone 4 to 9
3. Ilex koehne Wirt L Winn beautiful large leaf and great berries Zone 7 to 9
4. Ilex pendunculosa Zone 5
5. Ilex meserveae all blues??, and Nellie R Steven- Zone 6-9
6. Ilex Rock Garden Zone 6 - 9
7. Spirea pink flowering - what a color work horse Zone 4-7 (8)
8. Hydrangea macrophylia Altona great depth of color vivid blue/purple, good fall color, nice leaf, consistent bloomer. ***
9. Hydrangrea macrophylia Niedersachen great color and delicate petals. ***
10. Hydrangea Lilacina nice lacecap lavender petal blue center with added interest of great fall leaf color ***
11. Hydrangea quercifolia both Queen and Snowflake Zone 5-9
12. Vaccinium corymbosum Blue Ray Zone 3 to 7 (8)
13. Vaccinium angustifolium Zone 2 to 5 (6)
14. Clerodendrum trichotomum Zone 6 (7) to 9
15. Callicarpa japonica Luxurians just when I think all of the excitement has left the garden. Zone 5 to 8
16. Viburnum nudum Wintethur great fall color
17. Viburnum burkwoodii really formal shrub and the flower scent in spring is intoxicating Zone 4 to 8
18. Viburnum setigerum Aurantiacum wow the orange peach berries in the fall next to the burgundy leaves of Hydrangea Quercifolia. Zone 5 to 7
19. Chamaecyparis obtuse Nana Zone 4 to 8
20. azeala Polly Hills Yuka 0 to minus 10 degrees
21. Rhododendron Cunninghams White re-blooms in the fall - ? Check with your local nursery

This is a great thread I have already added too many selections to my spring wish list. I am particularly lusting after the swamp azalea. Katy

*** I grow more varieties of hydrangea macrophylia than I want to admit to either my DH or you and considered to the best of my ability what I thought was a special macrophylia that to date has been under used in New England.

I noticed that Dirr says Callicarpa really needs to be zone 6 for best berries. I have to agree with him. I am in a solid 5, wishful 5b, and species callicarpa never bloomed and berried enough to enjoy before the cold shriveled them up.

I would like to hear from someone who has actually grown "early amethyst" in zone 5 and whether this is really better or marginally better.

Thanks for the zonal information, Katy. There were a couple of plants not in my old Dirr, but they appear hardy 5 in your list. Don't you dare go to mid-Atlantic. They have funny accents: New Jersy, Philly, Balimer.

Please tell more about #12.
Marie

What an education!! I've saved this thread for the impending onslaught of catalogs ....

While I agree with Mindy that there may be some non-zone-5ers amongst the list, who here hasn't tried to sneak in a plant out of sheer wanton lust in a hopeful microclimate???

LOL at myself, remembering wanting that white forsythia so badly that I went out in a Z5 blizzard to pull up more mulch. Following Spring, I got one measly little bloom and felt like the garden queen of the century, then yanked it to make way for something that would really work :-)

I don't think anyone's mentioned Hydrangea macrophylla 'Tokyo Delight', a small (by hydrangea standards) pink lacecap. While it is officially rated to Z6, I first saw it in a Z5 garden doing quite well in a sheltered spot.

Martie

Nan,
re: Rh. schlipenbachii.
It blooms after mucronulatum, about the same time as poukhanense. IMO, if I have to grow one and only azalea that would be it.
Martie,
re: 'Tokyo Delight'.
I wouldn't call it small (by hydrangeas standards) in my z6 garden. Both of mine are 3 years old and probably 4x4-5' already. Parent plant from which cutting were taken is easy 5x8.
There is an interesting thread on a Hydrangea forum about fall colors and I posted there a series of pictures of TD from July till September, so you could see all the wonderfull color transformation it goes thru. Thread is long and has many pictures in it. Post with TD pictures dated September 11.
I do agree that Lilacina is a very fine hydrangea, but would be truly surprised to see it, as well as TD, to bloom reliably in z5.