Perhaps a dwarf hinoki cypress (chamaecyparis obtusa Nana Gracilis) would work there.

any chance at a better pic of the whole spot .. more of the house i mean ...

are you sure there are no viable buds ... i have had some green back up the following spring ... but not in locations where i had to look at them every day ...

ken

What about a pyramidal topiary of littleleaf boxwood? I have 3 that have taken to that very well.

Thanks all. I haven't had a chance to take a good photo of the whole house but here is a nighttime shot where you can see the location because the tree is lit up. The arrow is pointing to it. The spot is not very visible from the street/sidewalk because our house is elevated and the door is off center. So it's more of a point of interest as you walk up the front steps.

Good spot for something fragrant.

Good for you for replacing the DAS. Now show off your plant knowledge and put in dwarf fothergilla.

Here are some more photos--drizzly January day, but you get the idea.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I will look into the hinoki cypress--I think it's a cool looking shrub but I'm not sure about it all alone in this spot. I also love boxwood, but hasn't been some kind of boxwood blight in the northeast? Since boxwood are quite expensive I'm hoping for something I won't have to replace soon. And I love fothergilla--in fact I have two--but I prefer something evergreen, not deciduous, for this spot.

Ken, our house was just painted last year, so I hope you don't think it already needs repainting! (Our concrete steps do need to be repaired...) But if you just mean that someday it will need repainting, then yes, that is true.

View from the sidewalk. The shrub in question will be to the left of the door. There are three hydrangeas in front and an ilex steeds (needing a trim) to the right of the door.

View as you start up the front stairs. You can now see the current dwarf alberta spruce to the left of the door. Other plants along the sides of the front steps are azalea (visible in foreground), hydrangea bobo, fothergilla, montauk daisy, hydrangea endless summer, lilac, weeping cherry, and some perennials like hellebore, sedum, dwarf russian sage, heuchera, lady's mantle, geranium biokovo. Other than azalea and hellebore, those are all absent or plain in the winter, which is why I'd like something evergreen (or at least with winter interest).

View of the front door with the dwarf alberta spruce.

Thanks!

You could always replace it with another DAS. Not my favorite by a long shot but almost a perfect choice for shape and decoratability (is that even a word??) and slow growing enough to suit the purpose for a few more years.

I personally love Hinoki cypress but few will grow in that very pyramidal form of the DAS........and most grow quite a bit faster as well. Irish yew is a possibility. And Buxus sempervirens 'Dee Runk' has show very good resistance to boxwood blight and naturally grows in an upright, somewhat pyramidal form.

In New England there are boxwood psyllid, an insect, as well as boxwood blight that may disfigure your boxwood.

You could ask on the conifer forum for suggestions of slow-growing, narrow evergreens for that spot.

You could use a type 3 clematis (hard prune) on an ornamental obelisk. Hard prune the clematis down to a couple of buds per stem after hard freeze, and then decorate the trellis with lights for the winter season.

Buxus Sempervirens........ That's the one I was looking for. Couldn't think of the botanical name but I knew it was littleleaf boxwood.

Ken, our house was just painted last year, so I hope you don't think it already needs repainting!

lol... nope... but you plant a plant.. and in 10 years.. you say to yourself.. man.. its just perfect ... then you realize ... carp.. NOW the house needs painting ...

future maintenance is an important variable.. often over looked ....

i hate to say it .. trust me ... but there arent many other things that are going to fit in that spot ... maybe gal is right.. and just replace with another ...

btw.. do you salt the stairs in winter ... could that be a problem???? .. something is weird with the pattern of the problem ... another problem could be winter sun reflecting off the concrete.. causing temporary thawing of tissue in winter ... or retained winter sun heat .... causing the same.. when tissue goes in and out of dormancy ... the result is brown tissue.. that doesnt show up until summer some times .... if any of these are the issue ... then just putting the same thing there.. just leads to the same problems ....

also.. do you see any viable buds.. it just MIGHT bud out properly ... this spring ...

finally ... lets look outside the box your sitting it ... set aside xmas lights ... what about a trellis... and a clematis up that ... and another on the fence ... or morning glory if you want to tend toward annuals .... it really is a small space for shrubs.. or conifers as you have now ...

glad i dont have to mow that lawn ... at least its small.. lol

ken

Common name problem alert again. 'Little leaf box' is generally used for Buxus microphylla. That's what the name means.

The DAS looks quite a bit too short to me right besides the tall house, I would replace it with the thinnest fastigiate conifer that I can find, like a Degroot's Spire.

If I might offer a non-sequiteur suggestion, I'd get a wreath with battery-operated LED lights and hang it on the door rather than the one between the windows. You have a charming house that would be improved with properly placed illumination that highlight its assets.

I agree with kitasei, but stay away from LEDs. I run an extension cord over my door to my wreath and christmas trees, but battery powered would work.

Hi! I’m replacing my DAS and just wondering what you ended up replacing it with?

This was long ago and we no longer live in that house, but if I recall, we just replaced it with another dwarf alberta spruce! At an earlier point we tried an inkberry in that spot, but it was too unkempt for a prominent location and eventually got leaf spot. Good luck!

I lost mine a few years ago when we had a drought, but I am going to replace it this summer. No, they are not long lasting, but they fill a nitch that nothing else does.

@sam_md, good suggestion with spring flowers, fall foliage,and an (imo) interesting bark/branch structure., stays small, etc. Hopefully this resurrected thread will help someone else.