I removed my red twigs because they got too large & too much effort - for me - to keep to needed size. Not your Arctic Fire but… my mom had dwarf Korean lilac hedge - beautiful when in bloom otherwise - meh! If you already have & like that Viburnum in another spot, why not repeat? But,is exposure same as you say it’s on the ”other side of house”?

last i saw.. my dwarf lilac ... was about 6 feet tall .. and 8 feet wide ... palidin or something like that ...

it might be smaller than the usual... but its not small ...

until it got about 6 by 6.. i too thought is lacks fragrance ... but once it was large enough to produce abundant flowers.. it had a nice smell ...

ken

"Location is right smack outside a large bedroom window so is prime real estate, and whatever I plant there has to look good all season."

In that case I would use a conifer or a broadleaved evergreen to ensure 12 month interest.

Likely a grouping of both.

I don't like deciduous shrubs used solely in featured spots like this- I may intersperse a few but IMO the main shrubs should be good looking year round. You're gonna be looking out that window in February just as much as you do in July.

A picture might help. What kind of sun does the spot get?

Are you trying to block the window? I never plant anything woody right outside of a window because I want to be able to see outside well, and to have access to the windows in case a repair is needed. In case of fire, I don't want to have to wrestle my way through or be scratched-up by a shrub after I've just had to climb through the window. And most of all, I don't want to spend any weekends mangling shrubs to keep them small.

No, not trying to block the window. The foundation plantings start 3-4' away from the house. The house sits up a bit so I'm kinda looking down and out. Still, I don't want anything too big.

I have some dwarf Colorado blue spruce in the area already, off to the side, so I'm covered on the evergreens.

Aha, that gives me a much better perspective. I think I might choose a rose.

I might plant the arctic fire dogwood and the add one of the summer blooming Clematis to climb into the dogwood to add summer interest. Or are there any variegated red twig dogwoods that stay within your preferred size. Add evening scent with self-seeding annual Nicotiana.

In my most humble opinion, less is more when it comes to "foundation" shrubs. Remember, every intersection of "ground" and "your house" doesn't need a plant to "anchor" it. Downton Abbey hasn't flown off into outer space because it wasn't "anchored".

Of course, none of us live in big houses remotely similar to this one, and I'm being sarcastic. But the point stands. There's no need to have busy landscaping butting up against your residence. (I do because I have an addiction to collecting rare plants, but that's neither here nor there)

Have you considered everblooming roses?