As the East Coast deals with another round of rain, wind and general gloom, the scheduled show in the garden continues, just as Mother Nature intended. Besides the fuzzy flower buds of magnolia blossoms, there are fat rosettes of tall sedums pushing out of the soggy ground and sturdy peony stems doing their best red asparagus impersonation. My eye is drawn to the flowering crabapple (Malus 'Bob White'). While it is not yet in bloom, its fresh green leaves are aglow against a gray sky—bringing joy to my heart. With a soon-to-follow prolific show of delicate soft pink flowers, this is THE star of my spring garden.

What is your garden's star this spring?