As I was looking through a catalog that offered to send a plant every month (most of them in containers for the house — tulips, azaleas, etc.), I started wondering what life would be like if I'd been in a Shrub of the Month Club (or vines, ground covers, trees, perennials, bulbs), all the years I'd owned a home. I might have a hodgepodge of a garden, but I bet I'd have some great plants.

Below is a starter list for such an imaginary club. This is a very subjective list, but the shrubs are all easy to grow in Atlanta and the surrounding areas.

PHIL SKINNER (ENLARGE)

PHIL SKINNER / Staff Beautyberry's fruits make the shrub a showstopper in the garden.

Martha Tate/Special (ENLARGE)

Butterflies love Abelia chinensis.

• January: Chimonanthus praecox 'Lutea': Wintersweet can start blooming around Christmas, and you can bring the yellow flower indoors for an intoxicating perfume. 'Lutea' is a clear yellow form of the species, which is also yellow but with a brown throat. This shrub would look great backed by a line of evergreens.

• February: Camellia japonica 'Pink Perfection'. There are so many camellias to choose from, but I love this small, double, light pink flower. The shrub itself is attractive as well, since it is upright, dense and evergreen.

• March: Corylopsis sp. (winter hazel): I stopped by a friend's house March 15 when I had not gotten a good night's sleep and was sort of in a lousy mood. One look at her beautiful yellow corylopsis and I perked up. There it sat among the rest of her garden that hadn't awakened yet. It was like a cheerful yellow jewel.

• April: Viburnum macrocephalum 'Sterile': I watched this plant from last September until just now, and it has not been without blooms. In March, you get these little domes of apple green, which begin swelling to larger balls of chartreuse. By April, some of the balls are 8 inches across and pure white.

• May: Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snowflake'. Eddie Aldridge, whose father made sure this double oakleaf hydrangea survived from its one location in Alabama, gave me my plant. The blooms are mind-boggling. According to Eddie, the Japanese go crazy over this plant.

• June: Hydrangea macrophylla 'Margaret Moseley': If something blooms every year in your garden for nearly 50 years, you know you've got a good plant. I will never forget seeing this shrub for the first time in Margaret's garden in Decatur. Pure white flowers with the tiniest light blue eye form a beautiful fountain.

• July: Abelia chinensis: This just intrigues me. I've never seen one without a butterfly on it. It starts blooming in July and still looks good in September. Don't think of your mother's abelia — this one is different, with clustered flowerheads that remind me of a lilac. Good for arrangements.

• August: Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight': I've just planted one and can't wait until August to see if the blooms do come out mint or lime green. I understand they turn to white pretty fast in our heat, but we shall see.

• September: Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus: Extremely fragrant and the prettiest apricot color, this shrub is evergreen and blooms only once in September for a week or so. Just amazing.

• October: Callicarpa americana: Everyone ought to have a beautyberry, if for nothing more than to get to see this most unusual color. The berries don't even look real.

• November: Rosa 'Perle d'Or': Yes, it blooms great in May, but I've seen this peach-colored little sweetheart rose in full bloom in November and December. Fragrant and an antique from the 1880s.

• December: Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red': This deciduous holly is on my most wanted list. I've seen 'Winter Red' down at Wilkerson Mill Gardens, and I wanted to steal every branch. You'll need a male holly for pollination.

MARTHA'S PICK

'Margaret Moseley' hydrangea
Botanical name: Hydrangea macrophylla 'Margaret Moseley'
About the plant: Covered in medium-size white flowers in June.
Use in the garden: Great in a line of shrubs, especially with other bigleaf hydrangeas.
Planting and care: Plant in semi-shade in rich, moist, well-drained soil.
Source: Land Arts, 809 Broad St., Monroe; 770-267-4500.