Grasses would be good, either a solid, same variety grouping or a mixed planting with various heights. What about Indian Hawthorne (Raphiolepis), since I don't recall bees visiting my brother's ones too much? It comes in a dwarf form that is tight and evergreen, and seems to stay at about 2-3', either white or pink summer blooms. I think it's hardy for z.6. Another possibility would be one of the small spireas (Gold Mound, etc.), since, again, I don't remember bees on my brother's - you might have to do some pruning in early spring. A small-growing azalea group might work, if the sun isn't TOO bad - they would flower early enough that not many bees would be out.

Day lilies are a non-shrub possibility, although they would die back in the winter. I don't think they are bee magnets.

Is there a small-growing hydrangea, such as Snowhill or Annabelle, that can handle the conditions, since I assume it is relatively dry?

Natives that might work, if they meet your height requirements are; Fothergilla spp., Itea spp. (maybe too tall and suckering), Clethra alnifolia 'Sixteen Candles' (maybe too wide), Vaccinum spp. (blueberries - fruit as well as foliage, maybe too tall/wide, but there are dwarf ones) or Cornus serica (red twig dogwood, which may be too tall). Almost all of these would probably need to be ordered - Woodlanders or Meadowbrook/We Du Nurseries should carry them. Some, like the Fothergilla, blueberries or Itea are possible to find at a good local nursery.

I would suggest that forsythias, even the dwarf forms, will sucker and get too wide with time. Pruning out the oldest stems by a third, and taking out the furthest-out shoots might work, but they do like to arch over and the natural form is much more graceful than a pruned shrub.

dibbit: Thanks for your thorough and helpful reply. I checked out the Indian Hawthorne (handsome plant); looks like it's hardy to z7, which I'm not in. On the other hand, I have a 25-foot crape myrtle in my backyard which is also z7 and shouldn't be growing here (northern NJ). I will look into its availability.

I am trying to look at spring bloomers rather than summer: the cornus alba is a possibility if it really tops off at 5'. I like dwarf fothergilla, though I'm confused about the height: some say 4', others say it goes to 6', which is too big. Azaleas are rather over-used here in NJ, so I'm avoiding those, as well as hydrangeas for the same reason.

Thanks for the pruning tip about forsythia. Do you know anything about abeliophyllum distachia (White Forsythia)? There are white and pink varieties, and it looks very nice. I do agree that the natural form is much more graceful.

For this planting I want the formality of a same-variety group, but it's nice if that line is softened by a looser form.

DO look into grasses.
They look so nice grouped.
They grow fast, don't attract bees, and you cut them down
in the spring and they grow in again real fast.
If you don't want bees, don't plant a flower blooming shrub.

Abeliophyllum is a somewhat sprawling shrub--not good for a hedge or for a prominent spot, in my opinion. Potentilla might work or even Santolina, which would be evergreen.

Inkberry holly (Ilex glabra 'Shamrock') is a dwarf, native broad-leaf evergreen that only gets 3-4 feet tall, has a loose, open habit and stays round without trimming. It prefers somewhat acidic soil, mine need a bit of Hollytone a couple of times a season to treat chlorosis (I have alkaline soil).

butterfly is right, don't plant a blooming shrub if you don't want bees, especially a fragrant one.

The classic is peonies. Not really a shrub, but small and with a distinct presence. That they disappear during the winter can be an advantage in something near a driveway.

maybe a deutzia would work there. the one profiled in the link below is touted as one of the best cultivars.
don't recall seeing bees visiting my specimen of the species but could be wrong about that as they will likely be found on most spring bloomers.
am fond of some of the smaller spireas that dibbit mentions, too. i have 'magic carpet' but you need to like the combination of pink flowers on golden foliage!
'little princess' and 'anthony waterer' are a couple of pretty ones.
clethra has the largest population of insects to visit for nectar of any shrub i grow. i see bees, wasps, butterflies and various others, all at the same time, on it when in flower.

Here is a link that might be useful: deutzia gracilis 'nikko'

You should check out Rare Find Nursery since your in NJ. They specialize in rhododendrons but they have a lot of other plants.
Deutzia is a nice suggestion. Some others not mentioned: Genista lydia, indigofera, hypericum, amsonia, I have a dwarf Lespedeza but I don't know the name - not much help. Anything flowering is going to have bees but maybe not as many as caryopteris. Can you grow lavender? I can't but some people can.

My lavender is a bee magnet, otherwise I'd suggest that.

>Anything flowering is going to have bees

Not true, the sterile flowers on mophead hydrangeas, for example, don't attract bees at all (no pollen).

If caryopteris likes the conditions, it's most likely too sunny for most azaleas.

I've seen photos of some great grass hedges, on the New England forum, and I really like that suggestion. It's one of the most effective ways to use certain ones, even though it sounds a little ... odd.