First, are your new esperanza's in full sun? It could be the new plants are concentrating more effort on getting roots established and maybe that is why they're not blooming as well and could also be due to all the rain (maybe water is puddling around them?) or too much nitrogen fertilizer.

Thanks! They get some full sun - they are never in shade but not always directly in the sun. The flower bed stays moist but drains well and I haven't used fertilizer. Two of the non-bloomers are next to a plant (last year's model) that blooms profusely. So it makes sense that they are concentrating on roots...

Barbara
This happened to me. I planted mine in late spring. They were blooming when I bought them, then just grew foliage like weeds. Even in part sun and even with some fertilizer around they are blooming now.

I wonder if it has something to do with being pot bound. Perhaps they are a plant that blooms when their roots are cramped...or something like that. They get some room and off they grow. Honestly, I don't know what I'm talking about but am here to report that they are blooming now. Hold on to "hope"

I shovel pruned my esperanza this summer. It was a beautiful, healthy plant, but only bloomed in the fall for a few weeks. I would see others blooming profusely all summer so out it went. This went on for 4 seasons.