Mr. Bowden,
I am replacing my front bushes, which appear to be some kind of evergreen (for lack of more accurate nomenclature). The wonderful lady at Hewitts in East Greenbush warned that if the bushes made the soil acidic, I would either have to replace the soil or replace the bushes with something equally acid loving. If I sent you a picture, would you be able to tell from the pictures if my bushes are the kind that excrete acid? The website won’t let me upload one.
You can send a picture to peterb@hewitt’s.com Evergreens tend to, very slowly, over time cause the soil to become gradually acidic. You can replace the plants with another acid loving shrub or blend pelletized limestone into the soil to counteract the acidity. A pH test will give you an idea of how much lime you’ll need to counteract the acidity. No need to actually remove the soil.