Selecting Trees and Plants for Realistic Landscaping in Visualizations

One area that often gets overlooked in architectural visualization is the accurate selection of trees and plants for landscape elements. While adding greenery can enhance a rendering’s realism and mood, choosing the wrong species for the region can break immersion—and sometimes credibility.

You probably wouldn’t expect to see a Japanese Cherry Tree in Anchorage, Alaska—let alone a Palm Tree—but visual mistakes like these show up more often than you might think. I've made the same errors myself.

Why Regional Planting Accuracy Matters

In areas like the Puget Sound, we enjoy a mild climate with high rainfall, so there's quite a variety of plant species that can thrive and still be considered regionally appropriate. But what works here might be completely unrealistic in cities like Chicago, where harsh winters make certain trees and shrubs implausible.

As architectural illustrators, even if we’re not landscape architects, it’s important to consider:

• What zone or climate the project is located in

• Which trees and plants are native or commonly cultivated there

• What’s likely to be found in urban, suburban, or natural settings in that region

Getting Started with Regional Tree Selection

I’ve put together a starter list of trees that are generally appropriate for the Pacific Northwest. This list isn’t exhaustive, and I’m not a licensed landscape architect—so consider it a jumping-off point rather than a definitive guide.

The goal is to get the conversation going and encourage other visual professionals to do a bit of regional research before inserting placeholder vegetation into their scenes.

If you're building for a local developer, architect, or public agency, including the right plant species can:

• Improve accuracy and realism

• Show attention to detail

• Avoid visual distractions or credibility issues

• Impress clients who notice those subtleties

Let’s Build a Smarter Green Library

This is an open invitation to expand on the topic. If you're a visual artist, architect, or landscape designer, feel free to share your go-to regional species, helpful resources, or landscaping libraries. Let’s all get better at visualizing what could actually grow—not just what looks nice in a render.

Trees for Northwest