btw .... i wouldnt expect root issues under cement ..... with this plant.. for another 100 years .... roots simply arent that aggressive ... now.. if it were a 40 foot pine .... i might wonder ... buy a good tree saw [great if you have a sawzall, but still buy a tree blade] ... and hand pruners.. start digging about 2 feet out from teh center ... and just snip and saw what roots you might find.. you might be surprised how easy the job is... [if you dont have clay soil] .... and how little roots you find .... sharpening your shovel also helps .... though you can simply cut it to the ground ... your space is so small ... you might end up wanting to plant in that spot ... so may as well do the job properly now ... you might also rework the bed form ... as that is a weird little planting area ... [probably a property line issue in there ] ken

If you post that in a shrub/tree forum, you'll probably get immediate satisfaction.

Sure thing. I thought one of the pics was the one that is suffering a bit. I am located I Pittsburgh, Pa. the shrubs are in the front of the house in a raised bed off of the sidewalk. I have kept both of them trimmed and cared for, but about two years ago, one developed a brown spot on the top directly in the middle. That has spread really quickly to the point where most of the back half of the shrub is brown and looks to be dying. Any recommendations are absolutely welcome. -Justin

Really how close are the neighbours? IMO a fence creates enough privacy for most people and any kind of tree has roots and with all that hardscape those roots will never get enough water so they will be looking for water where ever they can find it which could be right under the hardscape.IMO too much paver in relation to green space .