[stomachmonkey]

We had a shrub outside our front door that was replaced twice and dying again.

The landscape guy was over one day and the wife asked him what's up.

He looked across the street and noticed the same specimen at a neighbors house that was dead on one side similar to your 2nd, 3rd pics.

He went over to look and realized that our wrought iron and glass front door was acting like a giant mirror reflecting the afternoon sunlight like a frikin laser beam right on the dead spot.

We put in a more light/heat tolerant specimen and it's been fine.