Specimen trees have an undeniable appeal, whether they are gnarled, showy, squat, gigantic, rare, graceful, or just plain odd.
There’s a time when every garden owner considers these traits, mulling whether it’s worth it to add a specimen tree to a landscape. From the Latin specere (“to look”), specimen trees are designed to prompt garden visitors to stop and stare. They can be a big investment of time, effort, and money. Are they worth it?
A specimen tree is a specially selected and positioned tree that becomes a focal point in a landscape. It showcases unique ornamental qualities and adds aesthetic value to gardens and yards. But what exactly qualifies a tree as a specimen? Let’s take a deep dive into what defines these standout trees.
What Makes a Tree a Specimen
The term “specimen tree” refers to any tree purposefully planted by itself to be a striking visual feature. It is chosen for exemplary attributes that make it worthy of spotlighting.
Specimen trees exhibit one or more of these distinctive traits:
- Beautiful flowers, fruits, foliage or other ornamental features
- Interesting shape, form, branching, bark or growth habit
- Large or dwarf size relative to surrounding plants
- Rare, unusual or historically significant species
- Ability to thrive as a standalone tree
By selectively planting a specimen tree, you create a living work of art that becomes a focal point. The specimen anchors the landscape and showcases the tree’s finest qualities.
Ideal Specimen Tree Attributes
Certain natural characteristics make a tree well-suited for specimen status
- Ornamental flowers, colorful fruits, or vibrant foliage that provide multi-season interest
- Unique bark texture, branching structure, or distinctive tree shape
- Appropriate mature size and growth habit for the location
- Pest, disease and drought resistance for reliable performance
- Long lifespan exceeding 50 years or more
Trees prized for spring blooms summer fruits fall foliage color, winter branch structure, or year-round impact make excellent specimens. The goal is sustained beauty across the seasons.
Prime Specimen Tree Varieties
Many tree species have attributes that let them shine as specimen plants, including:
- Flowering cherry, crabapple, saucer magnolia, redbud, magnolia – valued for profuse flowers
- Persimmon, olive, pawpaw, serviceberry – grown for ornamental fruits
- Weeping willow, beech, mulberry, birch – appreciated for graceful flowing shapes
- Maple, river birch, Japanese maple, dogwood – featured for colorful bark
- Spruce, pine, hemlock, holly – chosen as evergreen focal points
- Oak, linden, elm, maple – picked as large shade trees
- Dogwood, Japanese maple, crape myrtle, redbud – esteemed small specimen trees
Select trees suited to your USDA zone and growing conditions. Favor ornamental aspects you find most appealing
Using Specimen Trees in Landscape Design
Specimen trees serve as visual anchors and focal points. They let you highlight and showcase a tree in an ideal setting.
- Frame views and reflect weeping tree shapes in ponds or water features
- Let columnar or weeping shapes stand out where silhouettes can be fully admired
- Plant flowering specimens near pathways, entries or seating areas to appreciate the blooms
- Position colorful bark specimens against contrasting backdrops for maximum impact
- Spotlight texture and color of evergreens amid deciduous trees
- Provide enough space for specimens to reach mature size and spread.
- Complement specimen trees with thoughtful garden design and hardscaping
Caring for Young and Mature Specimen Trees
Specimen trees require specialized care for optimal health and beauty:
- Allow adequate space for specimens to reach full mature size.
- Stake young trees to grow straight and develop proper structure.
- Water thoroughly to establish deep, extensive roots.
- Apply organic mulch to retain moisture and reduce weeds.
- Prune strategically to promote ideal branching patterns.
- Monitor for pests and diseases and treat problems promptly.
- Arrange for arborist care as needed for large mature specimens.
Providing attentive early care allows your specimen tree to flourish and fulfill its potential as a majestic focal point for decades to come.
Selecting Your Landscape Specimen Tree
Specimen trees elevate any landscape with eye-catching focal impact. Visit quality local nurseries to hand pick your living work of art. Look for healthy structure, vigor, and a tree well-suited for the site. Then plant your specimen in an ideal spot to showcase its assets. With artful placement and proper care, your specimen tree will become a treasured landscape signature. Let these outstanding trees steal the show!
Will It Thrive?
Horticultural appropriateness is vital to specimen tree selection, if only for the time, labor, and cost involved in the process. Among the considerations are:
- Soil, light, weather, and wind conditions?
- What is its growth rate and how big will it eventually be?
- What form will it take through the years?
- How long will it live?
- Is it hardy and easy to care for or finicky and disease-prone?
- Is it best to purchase it container-grown or balled-and-burlapped?
- What acclimation process is best for this species?
- What are its post-planting needs, particularly its watering demands?
Because horticultural concerns can be complex, it’s wise to hire a professional. “We are good at growing trees but architects and designers are good at choosing the best tree for specific situations,” says Charles Thomas of Berylwood Tree Farm, which sells mature, distinctive field-grown trees. “Always hire a good contractor. Specimen trees are big, heavy and expensive.” At minimum, do lots of research. Above: Palm trees anchor this bocce court in a coastal retreat designed by
Lewis and Welti suggest hiring an arborist. Welti employs Urban Arborists in Brooklyn for her tree selection and installation. “More and more when we’re trying to find something as big as we can go, we have them source it. They have a great network and will find the biggest version of the species that looks great and is well formed and cared for. They’ll procure, deliver, install and guarantee.”
Lewis says, if possible, take along to the nursery a consulting arborist, whose job it is to provide evaluations and recommendations for trees. At the nursery, he says, look at the overall form of the tree. Are there flat sides or holes in the canopy? Does the leaf canopy look vigorous, not shriveled and dry? He also suggests taking along a garden trowel to check the tree roots. They should be rooted to the sides of their container without coming out the bottom. If the tree has girdling roots—roots circling the trunk—visible at the surface, move on.
How Do I Choose? Above: For clients in Brooklyn, garden designers Welti and partner Paige Keck of Foras Studio nursed back to health a blue-needled eastern white pine tree after it suffered a lightning strike. For more of this garden, see our book,
It’s an extremely site-specific question, but Welti says clients should ask themselves what they want the tree to do and then set priorities. “What type of vibe are you after?” she asks. “Are you looking for something that looks like it’s been there forever? Do you want something that will pop from the background or do you want an extremely subtle look?”
For established gardens, consider if it incorporates well into the existing landscape. Then weigh attributes such as scent, fruit, fall color, bark, form and flowering as well. The architecture of the house, the larger surrounds and the history of nearby buildings also offer cues in selecting an appropriate specimen, says Welti. “Does it look meant for a space?” Above: Ficus macrophylla or a “Moreton Bay fig.” Photograph courtesy of
Usage considerations also come into play. Does the specimen need to supply shade, separation or screening? Also consider size from an aesthetic point of view. If purchasing a smaller specimen, do you have a sense of what it will grow into down the road and how it will scale with your landscape’s other components?
If you choose a younger specimen, make sure you give it enough room to grow to maturity. It you want to fill the area while it develops, consider using plants that are easily trimmed or removed so the specimen always has room to grow.
Welti emphasizes that a specimen really should look good all year round, even if it loses its leaves. Deciduous trees can offer dramatic interest throughout the year, with nice bark, pods or interesting branching habits. Above: For 25 years,
A Specimen Tree Study :: Amazing Options to Consider! :: Dig, Plant, Water, Repeat
FAQ
What does specimen mean in trees?
What Are Specimen Trees? In essence, a specimen tree is one that is singled out for its exceptional beauty, rarity, or unique form.
What does specimen mean in landscaping?
Thus, a specimen plant is one that you would single out because it commands attention. Usually, people go with trees as specimen plants because of their size and stateliness, but shrubs, perennials, and other plants work provided that they’re sufficiently large, striking, or unusual.
What size is a specimen tree?
Any hardwood tree 28 inches or larger in diameter is considered a specimen tree (a hardwood tree loses its leaves in the winter, and a tree that is green all year, such as a pine tree, is considered a softwood tree.) Any softwood tree 30 inches or larger in diameter is considered a specimen tree.
Can a tree be a specimen?
A “specimen” tree is defined as a tree chosen as a point of focus in a landscape. It usually has an unusual shape, texture, color or other feature that distinguishes it from other trees and shrubs in your landscape. Here are 7 great specimen trees that could provide the perfect focus of attention in your yard.
What makes a tree a specimen tree?
Generally, any tree planted singularly as a focus of attention is considered a specimen tree. It could be noteworthy because of its size, species, flower, bark, form, or rarity. It could simply be a common but well-placed tree with beautiful branching. Or perhaps it’s a tree that’s unexpected.
What is a species tree?
Specimen trees are trees that are chosen as focal points in a landscape for their unique shape, texture, color, or other distinguishing features. They are often planted alone to add visual interest or seasonal beauty. Specimen trees can also have practical uses such as providing shade or food for pollinators and wildlife.
Is a specimen tree a species of tree?
In case you are confused, it’s not a species of tree. Rather, it’s a tree planted by itself as a stand-alone garden feature. Read on for specimen tree information, including the best tips for using a specimen tree in the landscape. What is a Specimen Tree?
What is a specimen tree in landscaping?
At Johnson’s Nursery, we describe specimen trees as large or high-profile plants that are specifically grown onto larger sizes because they display outstanding characteristics like phenomenal color, shape, or branching. A large shade tree brings instant gratification to a home or commercial landscape. What does specimen mean in landscaping?
What is a specimen plant?
A specimen plant draws in attention. It is a conversation piece. It stands out amongst structures and plants. How does it do this? The specimen plant has something extra special to offer. It may be rare. Sometimes, it has a fantastical or bizarre form, like a tree that grows sideways. Or a giant cactus that looks like a person walking.
Why are specimen trees important in a landscape?
Specimen trees are selected as focal points in a landscape due to their unique features, such as shape, texture, color, or other distinguishing characteristics. These trees add visual interest and seasonal beauty to a garden or yard. By planting specimen trees individually, they can stand out and become the center of attention in a landscape.