love your name.. lol

personally i need a pic ...

i learned with bird feeders.. and the attendant sprouting weeds ... that annuals.. are best.. so it can all be cleaned out in fall ...

weeding in a shrub sounds like a real pain ... you are dreaming a bit when you hope it will stop bird seed from sprouting ...

working on a theme.. why not some sunflowers ... there are dwarfs that will fit the sight.. and then they will feed the birds later???

ken

Sounds like a really challenging situation. One of the problems with planting under bird feeders is that the hulls of the sunflowers are allelopathic; there is a chemical in the sunflower hulls that keeps other plants from growing. So first off you want to find a way to prevent sunflower hulls from falling into this spot, either with pans to catch spilled seed or using prehulled sunflower seeds or not using sunflower seed at all.

Many variegated plants will grow more slowly, so it will be a while before they reach your optimal height. Your variegated willow may be your best bet.
Juniperus scopulorum 'Sparkling Skyrocket' is narrow with white splashes. Not sure how tall it will get.
Sambucus nigra 'Variegata' is slow growing, but is supposed to eventually reach 6-9 feet. Not sure on width, but Sambucus is pretty tolerant of pruning IME.
Syringa vulgaris 'Dappled Dawn' has gold variegation and typical blue-purple lilac flowers. Also quite pruning tolerant, but lilacs by nature are slow-growing.

I'm not sure how well anything will compete with two satellite dishes, however. ;>) Have you considered a bright-flowering annual vine on a pretty trellis? Scarlet runner bean, Thunbergia, etc. perhaps in a pot so that it gets taller faster? The flowers will distract from the bird droppings.

The variegated sambucus is an interesting option, but possibly not for full sun - I've always grown mine in shade. I love it, although it is very vigorous and needs some pruning. Worth a try though. I do grow the Guincho Purple variety in more sun and that one does very well. Blooms more and is flat-out wonderful when it does. The leaves are not too dark, and I think the bird poop would not stand out too much, since it is not exactly broadleaved and the flowers are white. Either of these might outgrow the spot in a few years, but both grow easily from cuttings, so you can start a new one, or just cut the old wood to the ground when it gets too big and start over.

Viburnums don't always look their best in full sun, being broadleaved, but it may depend on type. I don't know too many other shrubs for your zone, but independent of zone for that sort of spot I would also consider Leycesteria formosa, Vitex, Stachyurus.

The other option might be giant perennials. For example, the Cimicifugas (now usually called Actea) (C. dahurica is super), or Cephalaria gigantea. Or maybe really big delphiniums!

Karin L

Something to consider perhaps in regard to the problem with sunflower hulls affecting many plants. My daughter has Winter Gem Boxwoods surounding her birdfeeder. They have flourished there for 12 years. She keeps them clipped to about 4 feet and rakes out the seed hulls every couple months. She does not feed the birds in the summer months. I don't know if all boxwoods would do as well and I don't know if any would achieve the size you want.

Another choice might be physocarpus 'Diabolo' or the smaller 'Summer Wine' or 'Coppertina'.