Most perennials don't bloom the first year or two. If you had any first-year bloom, consider it a bonus!

Bluestone sells very small/young plants, so, for the most part, I would not expect bloom from them. If you're seeking first-year bloom, I would go to a local nursery that sells decent sized, well rooted plants in gallon+ sized containers.

There's no one single answer to your questions because each plant is different as to the maturity it must reach before blooming. My experience with Bluestone is that they ship very small, well-rooted plants that by the spring following their planting are as large as gallon-size at the local garden center. Over three years, I've received over 500 perennials from Bluestone & only had one phlox that didn't survive.

Keep tending your plants & next season they will be large plants...you'll be amazed at quickly things like rudbeckia grows.

Tricia

To give you some perspective, this is my garden, July 16, 2005, about a month after planting. Almost all the plants were from Bluestone:

{{gwi:250081}}

The same garden, July 9, 2006.

{{gwi:215134}}

OK! I'll chill:-)

I bought a fairly large order of perennials, grasses, and a couple annuals from Bluestone this Spring during their sale.

Of the perennials, I seem to be getting blooms on most so far.

Monarda Claire Grace - blooming now
Phlox Flower Power - blooming now
Physostegia Pink Bouquet - hasn't bloomed yet, not sure if it will
Solidago Laurin - hasn't bloomed yet, not sure if it will
Heucherella Rosalie - a few small pink blooms
Cimicifuga racemosa - did not bloom

The plants are relatively small, so there aren't a lot of blooms in any case. But I expect they are getting their roots established and that they will double or triple in size by next Spring.

Heres what I got from them this spring & what's blooming

Echinaceas; White Swan 2 out of 3, Rubinstern 1 out of 3,

Goldstrum Rudbeckia- - 1 out of 3

Butterfly Bush

The ones not blooming are growing great.

Jacob Kline monarda from Bluestone's sale this year is blooming for me (on very short stalks). So is an assortment of dianthus and some campanula portenschlagia. The rest are putting their energy into growing....

I planted Heliopsis Scabra Summer Sun in early June this year. The plants have quadrulped in size and are about to bloom. My only problem has been that a deer managed to step on one of them the other day. (Bad enough they eat things)

Today I posted a picture on my garden blog of some COREOPSIS TRIPTERIS that I ordered this spring from Bluestone and they are just starting to bloom with an interesting pale yellow. Click on the link below to my blog to have a look at this perennial.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mississippi Garden

Here are my results from Bluestone on what was delivered this year (this doesn't count hostas, etc., where the bloom is unimportant):

Bloomed
ASTILBE White Gloria
ASTILBE Rheinland
BUDDLEIA davidii Harlequin
COREOPSIS verticillata Alba
DIANTHUS gr. Bewitched (PP# 13,159)
BUDDLEIA davidii White Ball
HYDRANGEA Sadie Ray (one bloom)
MONARDA Aquarius (one plant out of three)
ERYNGIUM Sapphire Blue (bloomed until eaten by a groundhog)
LYCHNIS coronaria Angel Blush (2 out of 3)
HEUCHERA Chatterbox
SEDUM spectabile Brilliant
GERANIUM striatum Lancastriense (sparingly)

Hasn't Bloomed/Doesn't Have Buds
ARUNCUS sinensis Zweiweltenkind
ALCHEMILLA Mollis
ECHINACEA White Swan
HYDRANGEA macrophylla Mariesii Variegata