Well, if they were planted last Fall, so yes I would give them more time to get settled in your garden. Not sure if the blooming times may still be "" off" or what. When did these blooms open? I am trying to tell if these flower buds are from old or new wood.

Old wood flower buds may have bitten the dust due to winter or due to transplanting from pots to the garden, which is stressfull for all plants. I would have expected new wood flower buds to produce more blooms but, the shrubs are so new that I would let this pass and hope for better performance once they become established in the garden (usually 1-3 yrs).

They may still open late flower buds from new wood but, that time is slowly passing away the closer we get to Fall. They Do Look Great Otherwise!! One question, they seem to be planted quite close to each other; how wide does RS get?

You need to be more patient.

I need to explain the age of the Red Sensations better. I actually bought them in the spring of 2015 & put them in containers. In the spring of 2016 (not fall as I mistakenly mentioned - fortunately the calendar on my phone is better than my memory!) I planted them in the ground. The height & width at maturity is supposedly 3 x 3. But the one on the left is already 34" wide. Posting a picture at the end of last summer, so you can see the fast growth rate. But more blooms when younger than now. Luis, I'm sure the few blooms I have this year are on new wood because of the harsh winters we have here.

Sally, love the picture & statue of St.Francis of Assisi

I usually wait 3 years for them to get established so wait until the Summer of 2019 to re-evaluate. They should have developed a good root system by then and should bloom better. Or else. Hee hee hee.

Thanks! Just don't understand why I had more blooms last year than this year. Guess I should be happy for healthy leaves.

Yes! Or else! Anyone else getting tired of believing all the marketing info about prolific rebloomers all summer into fall?!

rebloomer LOL! Maybe get 4/5 blooms in Sept/ Oct....I' m Z6A, also

also zone 6..agree with you that the marketing is bogus..your shrubs are still pretty even with limited blooms..try winter protection??

Red Sensation blooms late for a mac. My lone one just started a couple weeks back, and it had overwintered in a 20" pot! I tried growing it outdoors for several years, but it always bit the dust. So in a pot it lives! I do find the blooms and foliage attractive and it's somewhat heat/sun tolerant, so there's that.

Side note: I've seen them bloom on "new wood" in nursery stock but not "in the wild" so it's possible they can do so but very unlikely.

For those who like "reds" but don't own any, IMO Fuchsia Glow (Garden Debut) or Grateful Red (McKay) have proven to be better bangs for the buck than RS. Everlasting Garnet (Plants Nouveau / Novalis) and Glowing Embers are hit or miss. Everlasting Ruby Red hasn't been around long enough yet. I'm also personally testing Cityline Paris, which may have been discussed here long ago but hasn't been in quite some time.

For small sized containers, try and find (dwarf) Hot Red.

Nicholsworth, thanks for the compliment. I have not tried winter protection. But the reason I went to the ones that bloom on new wood is so I wouldn't have to bother with that. And Springwood, thanks for your info. I would be careful about Fuchsia Glow anyone in zone 6.

I planted it at the same time I did my Red Sensations. It does not even have one single solitary bloom. It's also supposed to bloom on new wood, of course. I have CityLine Venice. Beautiful leaves, zero blooms, but probably would if I insulated it "well."

First picture is Venice on left; 2nd picture is Fuchsia Glow.

sally..winter protection is a pain in the #*!..I've done it (covering w/leaves and garbage bags) and STILL didn't get blooms..now I'm overwintering pots in my shed..also a hassle but I got some blooms..my Bloomstruck a few weeks ago..

Yes, we tried the winter protection once here too. It was just too much of a hassle. Love your Bloomstruck, beautiful! Soo many blooms! I bought two Bloomstruck to replace my Cityline Venice. The Venice will never bloom here. They were the very first hydrangeas I bought, and I didn't know about "old wood," freezing temps, and no blooms.

Sooo I will content myself with my blooming Incredibals, Little Limes, Bobos, and, as Luis suggested, give the Red Sensations & Fuchsia Glow more time to settle in & develop good root systems. Trying to remain positive since I love mophead hydrangeas!

sally..thanks!..I have other types too..you probably know but Tuff Stuff is said to be cold hardy..might buy one if I see it..one of my 2 unidentifieds that bloomed..

^ That looks exactly like my potted Red Sensation!

springwood..you have MORE hydrangeas than anyone I've ever met so you're probably right..had this for years and back then I didn't always look for names on the sticker on the pot..I keep tags if there's one but not all of my bargain plants have tags..here's a pic taken after the other one..still look like Red Sensation?..the leaves are greener now..put some Milorganite on it weeks ago..

So nobody else is concerned about all that mulch burying the root flare of the maple? It looks mighty deep to me.

I've seen pro landscapers get paid many thousands of dollars to do raised mulch beds around trees. I've not personally witnessed any trees die, so I'm not sure if growth is hindered in some fashion or what.

Yeah, your potted red/pink ones if not RS could be Glowing Embers or something. Maybe Everlasting Garnet, which looks like the same plant as GE to me.

I have seen rotting bark on trees like that, and there are plenty of photos of dying trees with buried root flares on the tree forum. So I would be inclined to pull back the mulch around that tree trunk.

Sally, if you want to try a lacecap, look at H. serrata 'Tuff Stuff' which is currently fully in bloom on new wood for me.

Thanks for the advice on the Japanese maple! It's a very short trunk, so not as much mulch as might appear in the picture. Also it's been like this for 14 yrs. Wouldn't it have had problems before now?? All that said, couldn't hurt to pull it back a few inches. AND thanks for info on Tuff Stuff. It is beautiful! Does anyone know what kind of hydrangea is pictured below? I bought it at the same time I bought Cityline Venice, and it was labeled as Venice.

But it can't be because they bloom on old wood, & "all" I bought never bloom because of our winters. This one is completely unprotected in winter & always blooms! Soo I do believe it was miss- labeled.

Looks like Venice to me. I've had mine in and out of ground and pots for about 7 years and finally think I found a happy-ish spot. No blooms this year though.

Wow! That is amazing! Nicholsworth said you know your hydrangeas, Springfield, so I'm encouraged! I bought 4 Venice at the time & realized afterwards I didn't really have a place for that one. So I knowingly planted it in the wrong place. It's at the corner of the house where it gets all the weather. We live on a hill, a lot of freezing temps and high winds. Zero protection. That hydrangea also gets all day sun. I'm shocked it's even alive, much less blooming! Thanks! If anyone thinks this is not Venice, don't tell me now. ;) (kidding)

Update: I have a new-wood forming bloom on my Red Sensation! Mind you, it was overwintered in this pot but this is the first time I've seen such a phenomenon since nursery stock.

I'm interested that no one has commented about whether a newly planted (regardless of plant's actual age) anything should be fertilized the first growing season. Unless you've used a something like Epsona's starter which encourages root growth I, personally, would not fertilize the first season in the ground..

I don't spend time and money fertilizing shrubs and trees at all unless I know there was a nutrient deficiency and I'd do that by getting a soil test from my Extension Service..

Better off topdressing yearly with compost, keeping it and any mulch a good few inches from the trunk.

As for the maple and all other trees and shrubs, the mulch should always be pulled away. If you haven't seen the full trunk in a decade you may not have seen what's going on. If it is fine, that's great but still keep the mulch away.

My maple has had a fungal infection in the bark for a decade which will likely be terminal. But I did find that mulching around the base simply caused fine maple roots to come up through the mulch to the surface.

Most nursery stock hydrangeas come with fertilizer mixed into the growing medium.