Using Specimen, Key, and Accent Plants in Your Landscape Design

When designing your landscape for maximum curb appeal , one element to keep in mind is that of emphasis. Simply put, emphasis is how you draw attention toward or away from a design element. Specimen plants, key plants, and accent plants are all used for this purpose. In this post, we’ll explain what each of these are and give examples of common plants used for each.

Every plant decision should be based upon your personal tastes (your favorite flower colors, for example) and what will complement your home and landscape. There are no right or wrong specimen, key, and accent plants. Some plants listed here are interchangeable, especially when it comes to specimen and key plants; which one depends somewhat on the other plantings.

Specimen plants are the largest plants in a landscape. They should be planted alone so they can stand out. These plants in particular are chosen for their unique shape, foliage, or color. They can be used to draw attention to a feature like a front door, or can be used as a focal point all on their own. Homeowners commonly choose trees or large shrubs that are showy in some way for use as a specimen plant. “Showy” can mean that they flower, that they have interesting leaves or bark, or even that they have an interesting shape.