dig them out ... remove everything.. but a bare 4 foot trunk .... you will need that for leverage ... and then start digging about 3 foot out ..... it wont be easy ... the undisturbed soil will probably be very hard/compacted and then just start cutting roots ... it wont be easy ..a sawzall helps.. and use the trunk to rock it back and forth to find roots as you continue to remove soil ... ... there will be one maddening large one.. going straight down ... yes.. its very hard labor... but cheaper than paying for it ... the lesson you should learn here is twofold .. one those cute little babes get very big over the decades ... so on replanting.. plan accordingly ... and second.. foundation planting are planted to hide the foundation.. NOT ON THE FOUNDATION ... so when you go to replant.. think about a 6 foot wide bed .. and plant about 3 to 4 feet out.. leaving at least a 2 foot walkway behind for house maintenance .. window washing.. xmas lights.. painting.. washing siding.. etc ... good luck ken ps: yes you could cut them to the ground.. and apply roundup.. but you will still have to do the digging.. once you try to replant there ... so may as well do it right in the first place ...

Not sure how you feel about roses, but the Knock-out roses can be kept pruned to the size you want, and bloom throughout the summer. I have the double red Knock-Outs picture below and also a Sunny Knock-Out that has a fragrance. I love them all. Vickie

call your county extension office .. and see if they have any plant sales ... in my MI ... the soil conservation office.. offers .. at proper planting time... extremely CHEAP ... small .. native trees for soil erosion projects.. the flip side of such.. is sight and sound blocking ... i have no clue if MO offers such .. see link ken Here is a link that might be useful: well hot spit.. they do ...

I went and bought five more lilacs. The neighbors barking dogs are going to be the end of us. Likely if they don't stop barking we'll be the end of them. I've never met a dog I didn't like before. :~/ We're planning to put a eight foot tall privacy fence on the property line. I want something to either grow fast in front or bush out and be thin but tall behind the lilacs. Obviously they'd have to end up being monster bushes as these particular lilacs are to be 12' tall. I don't want to see the hounds from hell and I don't want them to see me. So, any suggestion on putting the ROS behind the lilacs? How tall do they get? I'd probably have thought dwarf lilacs in front and the ROS behind if I had it to do over. Similar with what I did with box to cover my hydrengas leggy early spring awkwardness. So now perhaps a bush that could go in front probably not ROS but would stay somewhat smaller, say 5-6 foot that would have summer color and fall interest. p.s I wasn't mad, I'm tired from lack of sleep from the aforementioned hounds from hell.