What's your definition of small tree?

Cornus mas - I win.

take vv's que...no questions.

What is the first tree that comes to mind...don't think twice.

a bonsai specimen - VV just though he won.

Maybe Shantung Maple? Not real small, but small compared to Sugar Maple, for example.

Richard.

Heptacodium miconioides.

my dwarf shantung maple!

i think redbud...

during the prime week of blooming.. they are EVERYWHERE .... along with the native dogwoods ...

what a hoot .. the only plant that has been problematic in my yard is Heptacodium miconioides ... i have come to the conclusion its personal.. and mine just isnt going to perform .... if i was space limited... it would have been edited long ago ... serious, continued die back ... go figure on that ... fortunate for it.. its in a place where i see it twice a year ... and never when i have the saw with me ....

ken

Hawthorn

1st tree that comes to mind: Chinese Tallow.

Mexican Plum.

Would imagine that the answer will vary with the location.

Traveller Redbud. Now that's a must have!

Crabapple

Would imagine that the answer will vary with the location.

Exactly! In my location, vine maple, Acer circinatum. Otherwise, Oxydendron arboreum.

Boxelder (Acer negundo) (small is relative and this is the first tree that came to mind!)
Boxelder is one tough tree!
Mike

Picea abies 'St. James'.

tj

All the volunteer mulberry trees that show up in my yard. Virtually impossible to pull out intact once they are more than a few inches tall. Cut them off at ground level or an inch or so down, and they grow right back.

Alex

Ditto on the Heptacodium.

alexis

For me it "was" Crataegus. Its now Maackia amurensis

Curious as to what other people associate with this and identify any repetition.

I'm reluctant to add another Heptacodium miconioides due to the extensive reports on canker. I can't tell if its a serious problem or can occasionally take place like any other disease.

Jujube