Aloha,

I hate to see you give up on a tree I know you wanted, especially if it's treatable. If you know what the mite is, you might be able to get a treatment to combat it, in the $20 range and apply it yourself. Can your neighbor tell you what the arborist says it was?

If you've decided it has to go, I'd look at some of the taller flowering shrubs. There aren't many trees that stay in the 15 X 8 ft range. I'm thinking viburnum, serviceberry, saskatoon. Take a look at the link and see if you find anything you like. They're grouped by size.

I hope this helps.

Barb

Here is a link that might be useful: Deciduous shrubs

need a pic of the whole ... and some leaves ...

i dont necessarily invest in a diagnosis based on what a 3rd party [arborist] said to a second party [neighbor] about what is going on in another garden ...

and... the thought of getting rid of an otherwise live tree.. based on such.. is out there ...

i would get rid of it.. if it dies... and i wouldnt waste money treating it.. but thats me ... a little cosmetic leaf damage.. would not bother me in the least ... however.. a severe ... like in lose all the leaves in mid summer .. might make me get out the chems ... if the plant was important to me ...

and i would get my own diagnosis... on my own tree.. in my own garden ... and i might not use the same guy as next door... just for a diversity of opinion ...

you can start.. with pix here ...

ken