Every tree is precious in my opinion, and I usually cherish the ones I planted from seed or transplants more than the rarest and priciest varieties. On the other hand, unusual and distinctive trees provide an intriguing focal point to your backyard if you are choosing wisely for a small landscape.
Distinctive Decorative Trees
Numerous unusual trees that truly stand out in the landscape exist. A few ornamental tree options that are particularly well-suited for specimen trees have been handpicked by us. They range in size from a towering deciduous redwood to a tiny tree with white flowers that is ideal for tiny gardens.
1. Redwood Dawn
- Botanical name: Glyptostroboides metasequoia
- USDA zones: 4–8
- As high as 80 feet (28 meters)
This redwood “returned from the dead” in a truly remarkable moment in the history of plants. For many years, dawn redwood was thought to be extinct, and the only evidence of the tree was found in fossil records. However, a botanist found some of this species in a far-off part of China in 1945. These quickly spreading, deciduous redwoods can now be found in botanical gardens all over the world thanks to the collection and distribution of seeds. The foliage on this pyramidal tree consists of feathery needles. It emerges with leaves early and keeps them until the fall.
2. Maple Paperbark
- Name in botany: Acer griseum
- USDA zones: 4–7
- Tall: up to 25 feet (8.3 meters)
I adore maples for their beautiful fall color and peeling bark. However, the paperbark maple stands out in both regards. Because of its open branching, this small tree lets you see the bark exfoliating in paper-like strips along the trunk. Beneath is bark the color of pennies, which illuminates the landscape in the winter.
3. Maackia from Amur
- Name in botany: Maackia amurensis
- USDA zones: 3–7
- To 30 feet (10 meters) in height
This small but striking deciduous tree, suitable for a garden, has dark green leaves, but in the summer it is truly stunning when it is covered in a profusion of white blossoms. Because so few other trees are in flower at that time of year, amur maakia stands out as an ornamental tree. It is low maintenance and tolerant of most pests and diseases.
4. Snowballs made in Japan
- Botanical name: Japonicus syracus
- USDA zones: 5–7
- Up to 20 feet (6.6 m) in height
The Japanese snowball, in sharp contrast to the redwood mentioned previously, stays small and frequently spreads beyond its height. First to appear on curved, horizontal branches are the forest green leaves, which are followed by graceful, abundant white flowers that hang down. Given that the fully grown leaves grow on the upper side of each branch and the dropping flowers hang below, Mother Nature clearly designed this tree. Grows best in full sun or light shade. This is the ultimate specimen tree.
5. A tearful mulberry
- Morus alba “pendula” is its botanical name.
- USDA zones: 4–8
- To 30 feet (10 meters) in height
This white mulberry plant is not what your grandmother had! While mulberries are widely available, the weeping mulberry is not as common. These landscape plants grow quickly and bear no fruit, but they do have lush canopies covered in dark green leaves that cascade down in weeping growth. The trees are robust and healthy.
6. Lebanon Cedar
- Name according to botany: Cedrus libani var. stenocoma
- USDA zones: 5–7
- Up to 50 feet (16.6 m) in height
True cedars are striking in a garden setting and make any tree lover’s heart sing. The most cold-hardy of all the true cedars is the Cedar of Lebanon, which develops broad, spreading branches as it ages from its lovely pyramidal form when it is younger. These majestic, slow-growing cedars are very ornamental trees.
7. The Cryptomeria
- Scientific designation: Cryptomeria japonica
- USDA zones: 6–8
- To 60 feet (20 meters) in height
Also known as Japanese cedar. You must be prepared to defend this unusual tree if you would like to include it in your landscape. This attractive evergreen with short, bright green needles on drooping branches may sustain winter damage if your area experiences a harsh winter. Although the tree is conical when it is young, as it ages, its branches spread widely. Where should a cryptomeria be planted? in a fully shaded, protected area away from the winter winds.
