I have been disappointed in my Nikko's for 7 years now. I give up.

I can understand the frustration of Gardenlady48 as Nikkos aren't reliably bloom hardy in zone 5, but 7 years of disappointment in zone 7 indicates that there are some extenuating factors in play as Nikkos should easily thrive there.

Gardenlady...Nikkos will produce buds along the stems and many times some buds will survive down at the crown which will have to grow out some in order to bloom so don't totally give up just yet. You are already getting some blooms so all is not lost. FWIW, everything is very late in my yard as well. A full month and a half late. Crazy winter weather! The two biggest reasons for lack of blooms are 1. Winter bud kill or late spring frost when plant is tender and 2. Untimely pruning....One more thing, winter protection in zone 5 requires more than a heap of mulch at the base of the plant, but other posts on this forum can elaborate on that far better than I can. Good luck....yg