I also wouldn’t try to prune this shrub to size because it will either lose the arching shape or not stay 6’ wide or both.

Or would I be better served returning this shrub in hopes of finding a better specimen in May?

==>>> basically .... did you get it at a bargain price??? if so.. bazinga ... lol ... why pay more in spring ...

plant it ... give it next season to grow roots ... and then after that.. we can rejuvenate it into a more natural form ...

you can barely kill these things ... if you plant and water it properly next year ... and it will respond very fast to a harsh rejuvenation ..

as you note.. it was given a haircut ... not good at all.. when its in the garden.. i can understand why the seller did it ... nbd ... if it was growing aggressively for them .. besides being hyper fertilized.. it may need some significant root surgery at planting ....

the usual default is.. pruning after flowering ... we will just have to decide whether it will be established enough next summer ...

link below for planting guide ... timing is imperative.. if bare rooting and cleaning up problem roots .... telling us were you are.. in every post.. helps also ... as to timing ...

rejuvenation pruning.. will help maintain a smaller plant ...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

The plant wasn’t on sale or anything. I think I’m just going to exchange it. I really want a bridal wreath spirea, but I don’t have the space for anything large. My garden is already super cramped, but I need a large-ish shrub for privacy/shade. There’s a compact cranberry shrub that might be okay I’ll have to see what the nursery has in stock.

Probably cut back in order to evade the potting on that is what it really needed. Otherwise there is a thinking present in the industry that everything needs to be turned into a "green meatball" or nobody will buy it.

What climate area are you in? Are you really limited to one note deciduous shrubs like this or can you grow various evergreen shrubs also? The problem with using deciduous kinds for screening is you can see through them the whole time they are not in leaf. And if there is no fence or wall behind a border planting and it is populated mostly with deciduous shrubs (and herbaceous plants) then the display will have no substance to it, no meat on its bones.

And if you are already mostly planted up you should probably be trying to concentrate on shrubs that provide more interest than a spirea that flowers only in spring, looks quite plain all winter.

I’m in Salt Lake City, Utah. Something like a 6b.

The bed in question is a small raised, crescent shaped bed, with a western exposure. I put in the bed to provide a bit of screening for a patio space (some privacy and also to help define the outdoor room I’m trying to create) and also provide some shade. The idea I’m going for is to have the western most end of the bed with the tallest plants, decreasing in height toward the other end. I have a mix of evergreen and deciduous plants.

Starting with the tall end I have a Blue Point juniper, yet to be determined deciduous shrub, Manhattan euonymus, a swath of sunny knockout roses and ending with a spreading Youngstown juniper. In front of those plants I have some perennials planted like lavender, ornamental grasses, a hybrid tea rose and salvias.

Where does the shade come into it - what is supposed to be shaded and when? You will be waiting quite some years for the 'Blue Point' to produce a shadow people can use and most of the rest of the plants you listed do not want to be shaded. Also a tree big enough to produce a pool of shade people can gather within - if that kind of thing is the objective - is one more than big enough to annoy a small bed full of plants that want to be in full sun. And big enough to look out of scale with a small bed.

In terms of shade I don’t expect any of my plants to provide overhead shade, just relief from the late afternoon and setting sun. A sideways tilted umbrella would accomplish the same thing but I have found it too windy to keep my umbrella up most of the time. The plants should help, not immediately obviously but over time.

Picture the juniper growing maybe less than one foot per year and then see where that leaves your waiting time. Keeping in mind also the conical shape, not like that of an umbrella.

makes excellent windbreaks if lined up hedge-style, cutting winter cold and summer heat effectively

https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1598/blue-point-juniper/