Are you tired of looking at your dull garden and wondering what is missing? Well, the missing element could be a specimen tree. Now, if you want to bring in a specimen tree and transform your garden but have no clues about where to begin, Gharpedia brings you the best specimen tree for the front yard. This will make your landscape stand out with a unique touch of elegance brimming in your home’s exterior.
What Is a Specimen Tree?
A specimen tree is any tree that brings attention to or acts as a focal point in a garden. It could be a large, structured tree, a colourful or flowering tree, or even bushes placed neatly. Most people think of a specimen tree as a large, old tree; however, that’s not all; they can be any tree that can grab attention. They come in different shapes, sizes, colours, textures, and forms. The foliage of this tree can be sculptural, the bark unusually textured, or it can bear fragrant flowers seasonally. The options are endless, much like the diversity in nature.
How To Use Specimen Trees in Your Garden?
Specimen trees in most landscapes are used individually and placed either in the centre or along the edge. These individual trees, depending on the space available, can be large trees like the Moreton Bay fig or smaller trees like the Magnolia tree.
Large specimen trees can add age and personality to your landscape. In the case of large landscapes, it makes the space look engaging.
Small specimen trees add intimacy to your garden. They are not about grandeur or focus; they create enclosures relatable to a human scale.
Courtesy - Hortmag
You can also group a few trees to create a welcoming ambiance. You can plant grouped specimen trees to create effects of alleys directing focus, and groves, or create a sense of order in the landscape.
Using individual specimen trees is more about creating a vibe within the landscape, whereas grouping specimen trees brings order and complements the built form.
How Do Specimen Trees Impact the Landscape?
Specimen trees not only add to the visual appeal of any landscape, but they also shelter and provide shade from the sun. Trees attract a diversity of wildlife, bees, and birds that are essential for a balanced ecosystem, thus impacting the landscape positively. Make sure you plant the specimen trees at the right location, as the roots may hamper the foundation of the structure or water and sewer systems, creating havoc.
Top 8 Categories of Specimen Trees
Although all specimen trees are different, we can categorise them based on their size, form, shape of the leaf, branching patterns, colour, texture, rarity, etc.
1. Small to Medium Specimen Trees
There are several specimen trees perfect for small spaces. These dwarf trees are easy to maintain and add character to your landscape. They mature at a height of about 15 -20 ft.
Courtesy - Arborday
Redbud, a remarkably vibrant tree native to the eastern US, is a small, easy-to-maintain tree that grows up to a height of 10-15 ft. It blossoms in wonderful shades of pink during the spring. You can place it in the corner of your garden, as it requires shade and well-drained soil to thrive.
Plumeria alba, or West India jasmine, is a small deciduous tree, native to the Caribbean zone but still found in most tropical regions. It grows up to a height of 15-25 ft. Blossoms with white, fragrant flowers in the spring have sculptural branching and oblong leaves and require full sun. Plant this tree near your patio or entrance to instantly liven up the space.
2. Tall Specimen Trees
In larger landscapes, tall trees act like a binding element that adds a bold statement to the garden. You can go for either slow-growing trees, like oaks or maple trees, or fast-growing evergreens, like Leyland cypress.
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Norway Spruce is commonly found throughout the American landscape. It is an evergreen tree with dense branching and cone-like ornaments hanging from the branches. It is a sun-loving tree that grows up to a height of 40-60 ft. It has pyramidal foliage and acts as a great windbreaker. Use this tree along the edges of your garden to create a dapper screen.
Courtesy - Rj trees and hedging
Sycamore is a large deciduous tree with a striking brown-grey bark that peels. It has a sculpturally wide canopy and grows to 75–100 ft. It requires full sun and well-drained soil. It also requires high maintenance because of excessive shedding. Use this tree as a focal element in your landscape.
3. Branching or Weeping Specimen Trees
Add a tree with ornate branches or leaves drooping gracefully to create a different feel to the space. There are several trees belonging to the willow species.
Fast-growing specimen trees, weeping willows, are the most commonly found among the willow species. They are fast-growing, short-spanned trees that grow to a height of 30 ft. These require full sun and have rounded foliage with dramatic branches and light green to golden dangling leaves that create an elegant form. Add these trees to your garden to create a majestic vibe.
4. Hedges and Bushes
Specimen trees can be a group of unique plants forming bushes or hedges. These are used extensively in interesting landscape designs to create directionality and flow.
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Lavender hedge is a compact shrub that grows to a height of 4 ft. It is a fragrant, coloured perennial plant that matches almost any other plant in your garden. Its vibrant colour can enhance the look of the space. It requires full sun and dry soil.
5. Cactus Specimen
Cacti can act as specimen plants because of their structure. The tubular pipe, like desert plants, has a very distinct look that can uplift your garden space. Although not all varieties may grow in non-desert environments, once settled, they need little maintenance.
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Organ pipe cactus is a slow-growing plant requiring a warm or hot climate and well-drained, dry soil. It gets its name because of its shape and multi-limbed growth, maturing at a height of 12-16 ft. It is found in the desert landscape of Mexico and southern Arizona. It may not be possible to plant and maintain this cactus everywhere. However, if it tolerates the climate of your garden, you can add this piece to create an alluring display within the landscape.
6. Flowering Specimen Trees
Flowering plants will always uplift the look and feel of your garden. They add to the vibrancy of the landscape by adding colours that pop, and most of the time, they also enhance the experience with their fragrance. When choosing the best specimen tree for your front yard, options like Crape Myrtles, Japanese Tree Lilacs, and Ribbon-Leaf Japanese Maples provide striking visual appeal and contribute to the overall ambiance with their stunning flowers and foliage.
Courtesy - Barchampro
Sargent Cherry is a fast-growing, ornamental, all-year-round flowering tree. It is an excellent specimen tree because it transforms the look of the landscape by changing colours as per the seasons, from pink-purple hues in spring to dark green to fiery shades of red in autumn. This tree grows up to a height of 40-50 ft. It is specifically used for its visual appearance along entryways and as a focal element on lawns.
7. Colourful Specimen Trees
Who doesn’t love the hues of autumn? Colourful specimen trees look exceptionally flamboyant in the season, elevating the site of any landscape where they are used.
One of the most loved trees, the sugar maple, is a deciduous tree native to America. It is a slow or medium-growing tree that reaches a maximum height of 120 ft. The crown of the tree is dense and wide, consisting of five-lobed leaves that change from green to sparkling shades of yellow and red during the fall. Add this vivacious tree to your backyard and enjoy the fall.
8. Indoor/ Potted Specimen Trees
Specimen trees can also be incorporated into your indoor gardens or terrace gardens. There are a variety of dwarf species of large trees available that can be planted in pots.
Bonsais are miniature trees that mimic the appearance of large trees. You can convert any tree into a bonsai using the art and techniques of heavy pruning of the foliage and roots. Few species are better suited for bonsai than others. For example, Juniper Bonsai is an evergreen coniferous bonsai with small foliage that can withstand heavy pruning.
The conditions required for bonsai to grow will depend on the natural conditions of the original tree that you will convert into a bonsai. However, getting the soil mix right and ensuring adequate drainage of excess water are crucial.
Topiary – The Living Art
The most awe-inspiring gardens are adorned with topiaries.
Courtesy - Gardeningknowhow
Topiary is the art of converting dwarf trees, shrubs, and bushes into defined, fanciful shapes and forms by clipping the foliage and branches. The form could be geometric or could resemble objects and living beings. Topiaries have been extensively used in large landscapes of palaces throughout history. Topiary doesn’t always mean complex sculptures; even a simple hedge that is commonly used to demarcate a boundary is an example of a topiary.
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Choose evergreen plants for topiaries because you will want to admire them throughout the year. Choose plants that mature quickly, have small leaves, and have dense foliage.
Arborvitae Shrub: Perfect Example of Topiary
Courtesy - Gardeningknowhow
The emerald green arborvitae shrub is a popular, easy-to-maintain shrub used as a hedge or screen in gardens. It’s an evergreen plant with long, needle-like leaves and plus-urn-shaped cones. It is a fast-growing plant that peaks at a height of 20 ft. The foliage is conical, wider at the bottom, and tapering upwards.
While pruning these evergreen specimen shrubs, you should trim the leaves and not the bark. Be mindful about plucking the dry leaves and infected branches. You may want to lightly trim the shrub, maintaining the natural shape of the foliage, or you can modify it to make a spiral topiary.
Boxwood shrub is another very common example of an evergreen shrub that is extensively used for making topiaries.
Plant Care Guide
Adding specimen trees may seem intimidating, especially if you’re a newbie. Below is a list of plant care guides that will assist you in planting and maintaining specimen trees.
I. Buying
After carefully researching and fixing your mind on what kind of specimen tree you need for your garden, explore a botanical garden and hand-pick the tree. Do not indulge in impulsive shopping when it comes to specimen trees. Examine the size and condition of the tree. After buying, plant the tree as soon as possible.
II. Site preparation
Ensure that the depth of the planting soil is enough for the roots to anchor within the soil properly. Prepare the soil in the area where you will plant your specimen tree. Loosen it a bit, and make sure it has enough air.
III. Planting
Water the plant thoroughly before planting. Dig a deep trench at the desired location and place your tree. Then, fill the remaining hole with sand and compact it.
IV. Caring
Any tree will take time to adjust to the new surroundings; hence, take extra care at the beginning.
V. Watering
Newly planted trees may undergo drought stress; hence, they need frequent watering. Keep checking the plant for its water requirements.
VI. Drainage
Understand the soil conditions of your specimen tree; if it is intolerant to excessive water and requires well-drained soil, provide the same. Maintaining the ideal soil condition is crucial for a specimen tree’s survival.
VII. Fertilizing
Keep on feeding the tree some fertiliser now and then, preferably seasonally.
VIII. Preventing and treating bug invasions
To prevent bug invasions or treat them, you must periodically spray some pesticides.
Planting and maintaining a specimen tree is difficult; it is a commitment. Consider hiring help if you cannot take care of the tree. Specimen trees are not so much about the picturesque look of your garden; instead, they’re about your dedicated endeavour. Choose wisely, and invest in them thoughtfully!
FAQs
1. How To Select and Buy Specimen Trees?
Selecting the perfect specimen tree for your garden is a significant first step in your plant journey. Consider factors like size, colour, textures, branching patterns, your interest, the area available in your garden, etc. before you select a tree.
You must have a clear vision of the appearance of the garden before you buy a specimen tree. While buying the tree, look for the age of the tree; this will determine how big it will grow up to be. Also, ensure that the tree is in good condition and well-maintained.
2. When To Buy and Plant Specimen Trees?
The best time to buy and plant specimen trees is in the autumn and early winter, as most of these trees are only available from November to March. They are usually sold as bare-rooted, root-balled, and containerised trees.
3. Where Do Specimen Trees Look the Best?
You can create a dramatic landscape with the use of specimen trees. Go wild with your designs! Create a wall fence using a branching shrub, or add colourful vines to your compound wall. Add a softwood pine to watch its snow-clad caps, or use a Saguaro cactus as a living sculpture. Make an everlasting statement by carving a topiary of your pet with a boxwood shrub.
Also Read: 23 Best Artificial Christmas Tree Ideas For this Christmas Season!
Author Bio
Saili Sawantt – She is an Architect and Interior Designer by profession. Writing is what she treats as her passion. She has worked as an Architectural Writer, Editor, and Journalist for various design as well as digital portals, both national and international. Formerly she has also worked with Godrej Properties Limited (GPL) Design Studio, Mumbai, due to her keen interested in learning about Sustainability and Green buildings. Apart from this, she runs her blog ‘The Reader’s Express’ and is a practicing Architect & Interior Designer.