Nil wrote in
:

That was eggzactly the answer I was afraid of. I did notice that the
needles grow only on the ends of the branches, forming a shell. I guess
I'll need to tear it out. Too bad - it's well-shaped and healthy, just
twice as big as it should be.

What would you consider replacing it with? I'm in eastern
Massachusetts?

Look for things with the word "dwarf", "miniature", or "small" in the
name. The biggest problem I run into is having to tear out plants for
people who didn't read the label to see how big it eventually gets.
They're usually looking for immediate gratification with a plant that's
close to the size they want long-term, but aren't willing to pay for one
that's already mature.