It may just be "the runt of the litter". I planted a hedge of sixteen Canadian hemlocks 28 years ago. The hedge is now about 20' tall and would be twice that if we didn't prune it very hard every spring. But one of them was always shorter and less vigorous and, despite a lot of extra care, has never quite caught up. My advice is, in the spring (or fall in your climate?), dig the darn thing up and rearrange the way you say or just buy a new one. I assume you have checked the soil and what may be underground below this particular shrub.

Put the butternut squash up a fence - we had a "freebie" one year that covered a piece of chain link fence quite nicely, and gave us a number of fruits. They hang onto the fence well - no walking out one day and finding squash and vines in a tangle on the ground. Strawberry fans who find them unruly - why not use them as a groundcover? Thats what I did with some Tristars, and it has worked very well, even in half-day shade. I just transplant the ones which wander (which isnt many, since theyre next to a lawn). I got ample berries for cereal and dessert, and have a June-bearing patch elsewhere by itself (backed with a bean trellis) for freezing and jam. Note that Tristars have been especially clean-looking throughout the season, nearly fully evergreen and no leaf diseases. My Earliglows look really scruffy for much of the year, by contrast. The hardest labor, on both, has been largely picking the fruit.

Splurge Coffee - like French Roast but buy Costco Kirkland which is a good deal. Beer - DH likes small breweries beer or imported. It is one of his few expenses and he works hard so deserves it. Food - Occasionaly we will buy something special like the expensive creamy blue cheese or lobster. But only a couple of times a year. Egyptian cotton sheets/towels - After 32 years of cheap towels and sheets I finally broke down and got some nice ones. My old skin appreciates it. Kitchen Appliances - Finally remodeled our 1971 kitchen and since we DIY, we splurged on the appliances but nothing else. Hobbies - DH occasionally has to buy new tools for the remodeling projects. I buy tools and materials for my metal and glass art projects. Dog - Elvira get special diet food, she needs and deserves it. Anything she needs medically she gets and once a year teeth cleaning (so expensive!). More expensive TP - My old B*t can't take the scratchy stuff anymore. Don't Clothes - I buy a lot of them at Ross and other discount places as well the thrift store. Shoes - Buy them at Payless or Kmart. I hate shoe shopping! Purses - Buy them at the thrift store. Books & DVDs - check them out at the library. Dinners out - we only go out on special occasions. DH says I cook better healthier meals at home. Wine - $2 Chuck is fine with us. Latest electronics - I wouldn't have any of it if we didn't need to but DH does need a cell phone for work, got the cheapest prepaid we could fine. Basic Satellite - We are in a rural area in the mountains so we get nothing without it and keeps DS happy, but again got the basic package. Manicures & Pedicures - I finally got a manicure at 56 YO and wasn't impressed so never again. Haircuts - Go to the cheap chain places. I had my haircut by a stylist 28 years ago and I am still in sticker shock. Hair color - out of a box when on sale. Furniture - All bought used or unfinished (32 years ago) and refinished. Vacations - Haven't had one in over 8 years. DH uses the time off to work on the place and do remodeling projects. (Should remodeling go under the Splurge category?) Cars - We buy the less expensive ones that have been returned to the dealer after a short period. You save a bundle that way. And keep them 11 to 13 years. House - Bought a small place on 2.5 acres that needed a lot of work and have been doing that for 22 years. We could have got a mega mansion and really gone into debt forever but don't need the space. Veggies & fruit - I have a big garden and fruit trees. I can, freeze and dry a lot of what I grow plus have a garden all year long with the basics like lettuce and carrots, etc. Hired Help - Never use any, do all the work ourselves. Have only hired someone when it required big or specialized equipment. We dug out our septic tank, cut down 80Ft trees, ran our own trench lines for watering. You get the picture.

Another idea...kind of like jterrilynn is suggesting, I think. I realized we had left out a 2.5" filler after our counters were in. I needed every last inch I could squeeze out of the open shelves above, but didn't want them to stick out past the counter. My contractor built this narrow cabinet that tucks under the counter overhang and is topped with butcherblock with slots for knives. Having the built in knife holder had occurred to me early in the kitchen planning but then just seemed like too much trouble, but it's turned out to be a great addition (and I think it covered the goof-up pretty well!) I also considered having a wine rack there, but I didn't have enough room. This is the best pic I have right now. Sorry-it was really taken to show the floor.