As you can see from the willowy appearance this has right now it may be too much of a plant for your spot - too large, vigorous and rangy. Also it is not evergreen, of course - all winter you will be able to see right through it. And susceptible persons may be bothered by brushing against this sumac (and poison oak) relation.

What about Viburnum tinus Spring Bouquet ('Compactum') instead?

In a word, no. With more information about your "tight spot" I might be able to offer an alternative. A picture would help.

Ok, not going to try the smokebush. Bummer, would be so pretty, esp against neighbors orangey wood siding. The Viburnum is beautiful but does me no good unless it grows to a minimum of 6'. Really need something about 8' tall.

Can you tell us what width you have available? You say you want to maintain a walkway but you don't say how much space there is. A picture of the location would help.

All purple smoke bushes can be grown as yearly cut back shrubs. In my zone they get 6-8 feet in a season--no smoke of course. And atropurpurea is not as good a purple as say 'Velvet Cloak' or 'Royal Purple'. Without a picture of your spot it's hard to say for certain if it would fit.

It has been my experience that when cut back hard these become octupine, with fast growing, snaky replacement stems that flop all over the place. There's a Spring Bouquet ('Compactum') near me that looks from the sidewalk to be about 8 ft. tall. If I were able to walk up to it and compare it with my own height it might prove to be even taller.

I'm talking about the cultivar that Monrovia has had on the market for many years and not one of the other forms that have been circulated locally in later years, under the same name.

in anything but full sun ... it might not end up as purple as you wish ... and next to a house is rarely full sun ...

a JMaple might be much more trainable in said location ... and you would become a good pruner ...

you location is IMPERATIVE ...

frankly.. 8 feet tall.. and little or no width ... is a near impossible scenario for a shrub ... as i know them ... what about outside the box.. trellis and something like clematis or other vine ...

i think we do need a pic of the spot ....

ken

Ok, nobody laugh at me for thinking a smokebush might work in this space! Trying to think outside the box to avoid the Nandina, which seems to be the only quick solution here. Correct Ken, little to no sun. And trellis is the other consideration but am afraid it will look awkward. Notice the spigot on the right too - need access. I'd love to hear ideas!

Ken's got the right idea. Climbing hydrangea on a trellis. Or curtains.

What you need is a groundcover that likes shade. You could use a tallish groundcover like Hakonechloa macra aureola. As to the climbing hydrangea suggestion on a trellis, forget it. CH is a massive vine that is a clinger, like ivy. It won't twine sweetly around a trellis; it will want to attach itself to something solid. And if it grows, it will get enormous. Totally unsuited for the location.

How about a bamboo that can be contained?

How about window boxes at your dining room window with ferns or shade tolerant grasses? That would give you 2 or more feet screening above the sill height. You could have boxes but rather than fill them with soil, use them to put in potted specimens which you can swap around in different seasons. I have 2 foot tall miniature conifers in my window boxes in Winter.

Bamboo is an excellent idea!! It makes a wonderful privacy screen and has great movement and sound. And can grow tall in very confined spaces, depending on selection. You can do a clumping bamboo in the ground or a running bamboo in containers. Both do very well in our PNW climate.

Some really good ideas, need to consider. Thank you!

Right, why would you want something like this outside your eye level window when you could have...hakone grass?

Based on size, I am going to bet that the photo above shows plants that are either relatively young (more than 5 years, but less than 10 years) or the root restriction keeps them in check.

Mine (in the ground in poor, gravely soil) have been clearing the top of an 8' wall since they were about 7 years old, and need pruning at least twice a year to keep them in check even though they have fairly free reign on the width they can grow. Based on my experience, keeping climbing hydrangeas in as small a space as the one pictured above by the OP would involve a commitment to regular pruning, and I am not sure what the likelihood of flowers would be in that case.

Climbing hydrangeas in the PNW are massive vines. It is not unusual to see them growing 30' or more up a large conifer. I agree with babs that this is not a great solution for a smaller, tight space - they would need to be routinely pruned to keep size in check and therefore little to no flowering ability.

These plants look like root systems in the winter, when the leaves are off - a somewhat curious effect I am not wild about myself. Definitely such a planting in this situation would have to be on a separate, dedicated support - such as the metal frames in the preceding photo - as it wouldn't work to have the hydrangea sticking to the existing wood enclosure.