based on the information provided, there is no way to draw a conclusion.

Hi Ken! Here are 3 more pictures for you. You can click on them to make them bigger... I saw on a YouTube video, that if the plant has transplant shock, that you should cut each leaf in 1/2, to give the roots a bit of a break, and not stress them out. Cutting all the leaves like that sounds excessive to me. I think I'll just leave it be, and keep doing what I'm doing. My 14 arborvitaes just a few feet away are doing fantastic, and I'm not doing anything different for them than I'm doing for this little guy. Here are the pictures you requested.

On this next pic, you'll see the mulch disturbed. It's because I was moving it out of the way to check how moist the soil was.

Hope this helps.

The shrub looks fine. These are almost impossible to kill anyway, which is why they are so problematic across a major portion of the country.

Hi Gardengal. So, the redness that is easily seen in my initial picture is not transplant shock, then? Or do you think it is, but it's just a tiny case of it so it doesn't matter? I don't mean to bug here, that is my last question.

Might be some slight transplant shock but nothing to become overly concerned about. Most shrubs will show some indication of being recently planted, whether it be discoloration of a few leaves or even some wilting of the newest growth. It's when the whole plant wilts or discolors that you have something to get concerned about :-)

Ok. Thank you, as always, for your time.

As GG referenced, eonymus alatus (burning bush) is a troublemaker spreading freely into the woods in much of the country.

I would never plant one..in fact, I cut down the three at my previous house (after seeing little plants coming up everywhere). That was like ten or twelve years ago.

On the plus side, that indicates it's VERY vigorous and resilient.

You got no way of knowing what the tinges of color mean.

You tend to order plants from far away...colorcould ne indicative of temp change in shipping.

It could be variation of individuals in a species. It is clear there are red absorbing cells on the plant; it stands to reason there could be individual plants who exhibit shades of red as normal.

I once worked with a guy who would hear such qurstion, and while looking right at you, would say very slowly, there are some people who should not buy small plants.

And I would look back at your colleague and say guys like you, with your big mouth and huge sense of self importance are usually compensating for shrinkage in other areas. I detest people who go out of their way to belittle or embarrass others, especially, Wayne, when it's done cowardly, behind an anonymous keyboard.