5 Of America’s Most Popular & Best Specimen Trees

When it comes to creating the outdoor landscape of your dreams, there are a few key things to keep in mind that will help you bring it all together. While a great deal of attention is paid to selecting beautiful flowering perennials, shrubs, and annuals, many people fail to realize that they will be way better off choosing their ornamental trees first.

Logically trees, being the larger of the plant groups, play a massive role in helping to set your garden theme. The landscape’s under-story plantings (shrubs, perennials, annuals, and grasses) should be selected after you have chosen the garden’s feature element and focal point; the specimen tree!

So what is a specimen tree? By textbook definition, it’s an unusual or impressive plant grown as a focus of interest in a garden. Not only do specimen trees provide beauty with their bright flowers, or striking foliage, but they even provide a source of nutrients for local wildlife, birds, and bees. 

America is home to many native and non-native specimen trees with different characteristics including showy leaves, unusual bark, and varying blooming schedules from early spring to summer. The plant experts at Patuxent Nursery have done the work for you by highlighting a few specimen trees worthy of planting in your garden or landscape this year!

An excellent specimen that is beloved by the bees is the Golden Rain Tree. This medium size tree produces fireworks of yellow blooms starting in early summer that bees love to buzz around. The name “Golden Rain Tree” comes from the shape of its blooms which look like raindrops!

This tree is an excellent choice for summer due to its heat and drought tolerance, but it also provides multiple seasons of interest. Once summer is over, its dark green foliage turns a beautiful fall color of pale yellow.

This dynamite beauty is known for its bright, robust summer blooms that come in beautiful shades of white, pink, purple, and red. Gardeners love this flowering tree for its many varieties, signature foliage, winter interest, and upright growth habit. 

Crape Myrtles provide year-round interest due to their spring and fall foliage, bright summer blooms, and unique patterned bark that shines throughout the winter months. This multi-stemmed tree looks fantastic when planted along neighborhood streets and pathways. If you’re low on space, Crape Myrtles are a great compact option!

Magnolia trees are a staple specimen tree loved for the southern charm it brings to any landscape. This tree varies in size, but the beauty of it all remains the same. This spectacular tree features stunning blooms of fragrant white or pink flowers (depending on the variety). The most popular Magnolia trees include the large Southern Magnolia, Saucer Magnolia, Teddy Bear Magnolia, and Little Gem Magnolia.

Magnolia’s glossy, green foliage makes a striking contrast to its pink or white flowers. Some varieties, like Magnolia grandiflora, are evergreen so that you have interest all year long! Not only are these trees easy to care for, but they’re also disease-resistant. This versatile tree can even be shaped into a hedge to provide privacy to any home landscape.

If you’re looking for a spring-blooming beauty that brings multi-season interest, look no further! Redbud trees are a sight to see for their early-spring fushia flowers, heart-shaped summer leaves, and stunning fall color!

This drought-tolerant tree grows best in partial shade to full sun and has a moderate growth rate. Plant multiple Redbud trees in a line to create a fence or lining for your driveway, and then watch them reach heights of 30 feet over time.

Japanese Maple trees are sold today for their striking foliage colors during spring, summer, and fall. These shade-loving trees are well-suited as specimen plants around water features, patios, or even in containers.

Popular in Zen gardening, Japanese Maple trees are low maintenance and surprisingly easy to care for. Although their delicate leaves pack a punch of color, overexposure to sunlight can result in leaf scorch. With the proper lighting and care, they will flourish in your outdoor space for many years to come!

Patuxent Nursery has a vast selection of specimen trees to offer when looking to spruce up any home landscape or garden. Speak with our plant experts today to see which specimen trees will work best for your next landscape project!