Hi melgrek, and welcome to the NE forum!

Morning sun is perfect for hydrangeas - noon to 2 can get pretty hot and they tend to sulk in locations like that.

So ... I'd plant it where it will be easiest to water it. Against the foundation might improve its ability to survive winter, since the foundation can hold heat and release it during the night. On the other hand, a south- or west-facing foundation might make it bake more in the summer sun - you'll have to assess the conditions in the areas you're considering.

I think they look fine in front of a foundation, but also remember to leave space between the house and the shrub - at least 3'' between the siding and the *eventual* circumference of the shrub.

Water it really well - gallons - and then wait until the soil at the surface seems dry. I mulch hydrangeas well with cedar, covering the intersection between the garden soil and the potting mix that the plant arrived with - this seems to help the plants send their roots into the surrounding soil, which they need to do. Just don't get the mulch too close to the base of the plant, where the stems come out of the ground.

I'm not familiar with this particular variety, but see if the tag says it's one of the new types that blooms on new wood. Ones that bloom only on old wood will not flower if they die back all the way each winter; in that case you'd need to give it a little more protection.

Glowing Embers aka Alpengluhen is very old classic hydrangea cultivar originated in Germany in late 1890's. It's famous for its compact size (3x3 to 4x4) and naturaly red color (in neutral to slightly alcaline soil). In acid soil it never will be blue, but rather produce different shades of purple

In z6a (without winter protection) blooms very unreliably.
In z6b blooms much more reliably, but some protected site is recommended.
Plants shown on a picture above planted on east side of the house and receive sun till 11am only which is no way diminish their ability to bloom.

It's beautiful, George! Fantastic color, and I love the ruffled texture of the petals.

Glowing Embers aka Alpengluhen
Hey George I have had a number of both Alpengluhen and Glowing Embers for many years (mine never looked as beautiful as yours) and although they are extremely similar there is a distinct hardiness difference between the two. Glowing Embers has been more hardy than Alpengluhen, but neither have been a show stopper for me. kt

kt,
Here is the story behind the confusion 'Glowing Embers aka Alpengluhen'.
Though it's not reliably documented, most of hydrangea collectors believe that Alpengluhen was originated in Germany at the end of XIX century and was sold as such all over the Europe. In a middle of XX century it came to US under the name Alpenglow and then was renamed to Glowing Embers for the marketing purpose.
Up to date the same plant still sold under all those three names and I could make a safe bet that without tag not even experienced collector could visualy distinguish one from another.
The popular believe is that EG just slightly, maybe half a zone bud-hardier than both Alpens, but my notion is that they are indeed the same plants and that illusive hardiness advantage coming only from the variabilty of propagation material.

'...but neither have been a show stopper for me.'

The only suggestion I have, 'Experiment with a placements. Given the right (slightly protected) place it will be a show stopper.'

Thank you for all of the information, the beautiful photo, and the advice. I truly appreiate it. I will plant in front of my home along the foundation for some protection. Hopefully, I will be able to post a beautiful picture next year.

Welcome, melgrek!

I just wanted to add a couple of pointers since you are new to gardening. If you plant now, water frequently and deeply through the hottest part of the summer - - every other day at least when it's hot and there's no rain. Your hydrangea may fade/wilt a little at first, but should bounce back nicely.

Hydrangeas don't require pruning to remain healthy, except to remove old dead wood, which shouldn't be a problem for you for a few years at least. If you prune or trim your hydrangea much past the time that the flowers emerge, you will lose next year's flowers on any stems you cut. In other words, don't prune past mid-July or so (George a/k/a Ego45 will have more precise knowledge on this).

Also, don't be surprised if you don't get flowers your first year, or even two years. I have a nikko blue hydrangea that came to me in a small nursery pot that took three years to bloom. That's not so unusual.

My happiest hydrangea is on the north side of my house against the foundation. I don't have 3 feet of extra space between the house and the plant, as the bed itself is only about 4 feet deep and is bordered by the house on one side and the driveway on the other. But my nikko blue loves this spot, probably because it gets no direct sunlight but lots of bright shade plus the warmth of the house and driveway.

For winter protection, I pile leaf mulch around and inside the base of the plant about 8-10 inches high. This helps keep the flower buds from freezing. I remove this mulch in the early spring to keep it from rotting the stems when the spring rains start.

Good luck, and I hope you stick around - - this is a very warm, friendly and knowledge-filled place!