Deciduous plants are those that shed their foliage at the end of the growing season. I recently had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful collection that Warren County Master Gardener Beattie Williams has curated.

While there were several standout selections in her garden, one that immediately caught my eye was Virginia sweetspire. This is a native shrub that offers something beautiful for every season.

I was drawn to its graceful, arching form that typically reaches 3 to 5 feet tall and spreads 4 to 6 feet wide. It has a naturally rounded, mounding habit.

In late spring to early summer, this shrub is alive with an abundance of delicate, drooping flower spikes. Each stretch 4 to 6 inches and is densely packed with tiny, star-shaped white blossoms that release a sweet, honey-like fragrance. The blooms appear to cascade over the foliage like soft floral tassels, and they sway in a light breeze.

I paused for a moment to watch bees, butterflies and a few other insects dance from bloom to bloom.

As summer gives way to fall, the foliage will transform into a fiery display of burgundy, scarlet and orange, extending the shrub’s appeal well beyond its bloom time.

Virginia sweetspire thrives in full sun to partial shade and flourishes in moist, well-drained to wet soils. It even tolerates occasional flooding. I could easily imagine this shrub anchoring a rain garden or softening the edge of a woodland.

Another plant that impressed me in Beattie’s garden was Kirilow Indigo, a graceful, lesser-known deciduous shrub that deserves more attention.

Growing just 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, it forms a low, softly arching mound that adds fine texture and a subtle sense of movement to the garden.

It has soft green, pinnately compound leaves, which are leaves divided into smaller leaflets arranged along a central stalk, and these create a delicate, airy framework. While the foliage is striking, it was the flowers that truly won me over. From late spring through much of summer, Kirilow Indigo produces abundant clusters of small, pea-like blossoms in a gentle rosy pink.

The flowers rise just above the foliage, and each individual bloom is finely detailed with a softly curved banner petal and tiny wings tucked beneath. There is a charming wildflower-like quality to them that is refined but not overly showy.

When seen in mass, the flowers’ effect was like a veil of muted pink mist floating above the leaves. I watched as native bees hovered near the blooms, and it struck me how quietly powerful this little shrub was -- not only beautiful, but also sustaining pollinators.

Kirilow Indigo prefers full sun to light shade and thrives in well-drained soil. Once established, it is impressively drought tolerant and requires minimal care. This makes it a smart choice for low-maintenance or naturalistic garden designs.

These two deciduous shrubs added a soft palette of color, textural variety and a dynamic sense of seasonality to Beattie’s garden.

Experiencing them up close reminded me how much depth and richness deciduous plants can bring to a space when chosen with care and planted with purpose. I left with a renewed appreciation for the quieter stars of the landscape and plenty of inspiration for my own garden.