I have a fringe tree that is amazing in spring…though it really looks more like a very large shrub (but could be pruned to look more tree-like. Also, I love, love, LOVE my yellowwood tree…it’s native to the southern Appalachians but now very rare in the wild but increasingly found in nurseries. It has the most exquisite wisteria-like white blooms in the spring. Does not bloom prolifically every spring…but when it does it is fairy-like and breathtaking. Serviceberry is also nice.
I also vote for the natives! We all seem to like songbirds, bees and butterflies but expect these to live on exotic plants that might as well be plastic in terms of usefulness to them. People often say “but I see plenty of birds, bees and butterflies about”…but the ones you see tend to be the most common types (like non-native sparrows and a handful of resilient natives) while hundreds and thousands of species that depend on very specific native plants struggle. I have a few exotics (can’t seem to get rid of my climbing roses!) but more and more, I see the beauty of the garden in the host of critters that thrive there…),