Showy, flowery shrub for Dayton OH (zone 5)?

My sister, an avid gardener, is having a "significant" birthday this Spring, and I'd like to send her a shrub or flowery perennial that will bloom like crazy, and attract birds or bees. I'm a lackadaisical gardener, and live in Denver, so don't have the foggiest idea what might be appropriate for Ohio's humid heat and frigid cold. Any suggestions? (I figure I'll also give her a subscription to DG...)
Tnx in advance.

ColoEver - I'd go for a tricolor butterfly bush, a magic carpet spirea, a "neon flash" spirea, gold rush forsythia, Charles Joly lilac, hale's honeysuckel..

oh my, the choices! :) I know that all of these will grow down to zone 4 'cuz my mom in NY has 'em. And I have 'em too in my yard, and I'm just down the street from ya! (well, not literally, but in the Metro!)

Here is a link to some 3 season recommendations for flowering shrubs in the Ohio area.

http://ourohio.org/home-gardens/unearth-your-inner-farmer/landscape-plants/fragrant-plants/

Viburnum

I'd like to weigh in on the Butterfly Bush -- Absolutely gorgeous in bloom, and the butterflies LOVE it, so it's always a treat. I do want to suggest, however, that it be protected in the winter in Zone 5a. I just dump leaves on it to about 2 feet high around the base. I lost a couple so learned the hard way. Here's a link for general info and types -- Dax

http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/mvv2-94.htm

This message was edited Jan 14, 2010 4:38 PM

Thank you all for your help. I'll look up some of the plants suggested, and then Happy Birthday!
I may even look into some of these for my embarrassingly under-scaped lot...

ColoEver - You really can't go wrong with the spirea - I went all over town last year looking for the Magic Carpet. I love that one because the way the leaves come out. I'm not too interested in the flowers (little medium pink), but the growth starts out a vibrant red, then fades to a deep green. And it grows from the top, down, so you always have red & green leaves all over the plant.. then in fall, it turns a vibrant red all over! All & all, a very pretty plant! Depending on where in town you are, I can point you to some really great nurseries. Also I had the best luck finding them at Home Depot! Yay! They require very little care & grow moderately quickly, but not to get too big (like 2x2). The Neon Flash is more of a green spirea, but, in mid summer, the flowers come out & they're a hot pink! I have one of those that is very badly abused, but blooms every year! Butterfly bushes need a teeny bit more care, but they smell so WONDERFUL! when in bloom.. and they can bloom FOREVER! There's so many different types now and they're not TOO bad in price. I honestly think that Nicks Garden (in Aurora, off of Evans & Chambers) has the best selection of Butterfly bushes. Lilacs are a one-trick-pony, but they have such a heavenly smell.. and you can't kill 'em. LOL! I love the Charles Joly as it's a deep magenta color, rather than the purple. Some smaller plants are the delpheniums... I have this one delphenium (probably misspelling it) that seeded itself, is a vibrant blue, and lasts FOREVER! Russian Sage you can't go wrong with if you have a hot, sunny area that you feel like not watering at all. Same with Hyssops.. they have different colors of hyssops, but my favorite is the Coronado, which smells like rootbeer & is a salmon color! These are all readily available at nurseries, and you can get the Russian Sage @ Home Depot. I have no luck with Lowes.

I hope this gives you some ideas! :)