--Compact, or able to be pruned to desired shape. Height max of about 6-8' and width of 2-3'

--Dense growth (if deciduous, I'd like the twig growth to be fairly dense as well)

--Able to withstand quite windy conditions and temps dipping down to sub-zero.

--Able to withstand dry soil

--At least a moderate growth rate

So far, I've come up with small arborvitaes, but honestly I don't like them. If I can avoid those, I will. I like flowering shrubs, but I am afraid they'd be beaten to death by the wind.

Thank you in advance!

where are you again??? z5 means little ...

on any z5 plant .. wind is most likely not an issue ... but for the fooest of the foo ....

now ... every plant has a somewhat predictable annual growth rate ... as an example.. see the link and look at conifer sizes ...

i will equate INTERMEDIATE.. with MODERATE .... which means 6 to 8 inches AT A MINIMUM ... per year..

and add that nothing really stops growing magically ... and that MOST size estimates are at 10 years ...

so adding that all up.. when you say you want something that will grow fast but stop at 6 to 8 feet.. well.. we all have garden dreams .. that have nothing to do with garden reality ... lol ...... and then on top of it.. to grow that tall.. and stay rather thin ... you really are reaching for the stars ...

short of you going out there and whacking the thing every year or two ...

that said.. for your education...

i THINK .. there are some smaller columnar [skinny] hollies ... that might work ... and stay evergreen ...

BTW.. you left out how much sun.. and most flowering shrubs ... need almost full sun ...

now.. if you dont mind severe rejuvenation pruning .. and promise to do it PROPERLY.. and religiously ... frankly.. the sky is the limit ...

which brings me back.. to a picture of the spot ... which is how i can make recommendations ... otherwise.. any plant you desire ... just be prepared to cut on it as time goes by ...

ken

BTW.. conifers are conifers .. NOT shrubs ... [they are also trees..] .... there is a conifer forum.. with tons of pix.. should you wish to be enabled ... so if you are using the loose version of the word shrub .. you might miss suggestions when others interpret the word differently ....

PS: NOTHING .. I MEAN nothing... CAN WITHSTAND DRY SOIL FOR THE FIRST 2 YEARS AFTER PLANTING ... afterwards.. most shrubs can take anything ...

Zone 5 in Illinois. Temps can reach near 110 in the summer, and -20 in the winter.

I can't give a pic right now because I don't have one. Plus, it's dark and cold outside. But, I will try to give a little explanation of the area.

This is a south facing area, full, hot sun in the summer. At the moment, we have nothing but a field to the west of us. (that may change after this year...might be a house built next door)
Wind has been an issue--we have nothing to block it. In fact, we've had to stake our trees for longer than normal. After removing the staking at 2 years, our trees began to show distress. This is because the wind was bending them so badly that the roots were breaking underground. We can't even grill on our deck because it will blow out.

Back to the site. This area is next to the corner of the garage and my concrete driveway. Things tend to get dry in this area. I have an ornamental grass there right now, but I just don't like it very much.

There is a method to my madness. With no one to the west of us, we have an issue in the early spring and late fall. In the late afternoon, the sun is at the perfect angle in the sky...and trips the sensor on our garage door. In effect, we have to create a shadow to block the sunlight. That is why we need something dense in this area, and tall enough to block the light. I know that sounds crazy!

Anyway, I love flowering shrubs. We have sand cherries out front, and I do like those. We also have burning bush, which is another favorite. However, I'd like to add something else for variety. My fear is that most of the beautiful shrubs that flower will take too much of a beating with the wind.

You mentioned hollies. I saw one variety that I liked--can't remember it offhand now. Isn't it true for most hollies that you must have male and female plants to gain berries?

Thank you Ken! :)

I'd like something planted in the same place as the ornamental grass.

Since it tends to get dry there, you may need to mulch whatever you plant so that the moisture stays relatively even, perhaps even putting a few holes in the piece of downspout nearest the plant so some moisture trickles into the ground when it rains. Regardless, the first year most anything will need regular moisture.

You might consider a vine like the native honeysuckle, Lonicera serpervirens on a trellis or tall obelisk. I think it will stand up to the wind well as it twines instead of relying on tendrils to cling. Nice red or yellow or orange flowers, depending on the selection, and which hummingbirds like. You will have to plant the trellis deeply so that it isn't knocked over by the wind.

Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket' is a bluish western juniper and so wouldn't mind the dryness. It's supposed to only get a couple of feet wide and reach 12 feet or so. I don't have any experience with it though.

I know there are a couple of columnar barberries, red and gold, but around here they are invasive so again I have no experience. If they aren't a problem near you, they might serve your purpose. They do have thorns, however.

With the wind and winter sun, I would hesitate to plant holly since it would most probably get wind burn in the winter and look pretty bad.

Alternatively, you could leave the tall grass and add around it some lower shrubs or perennials that have flowers so that you have the light blocking function of the grass, but also have the flowers and more interest that you want in this area. A single plant doesn't need to fulfill all your wishes.