I think your hostas are still young. They'll take a couple years to establish, then they'll bloom. Mine did not bloom the first year either, but I can't quite remember when they started to bloom. The big ones I have are plantaginea, 'Elegans', 'Sum & Substance' & 'Kossa Regal'. 'Elegans' & 'Kossa Regal' took their sweet time. The first 2-3 years I was asking myself what's the fuss about. Now they are huge and bloom reliably every year.

Pruning and/or fertilizing have no impact on clematis flower color - it is what it is, although sun can sometimes fade out the blossoms. Since the vast majority of clematis tend to be hybrids of some sort, it is possible that color will not be stable, however named cultivars should maintain color regardless. For most hybrid clematis the recommended pruning time is late winter/early spring......about March or when roses normally get pruned in your area. And they should be fertilized after pruning as well, just like roses :-) In fact, a rose fertilizer is often recommended but an all purpose or tomato/vegetable formulation will work as well. And many folks just fertilize with a good compost mulch each season. Skip the Miracle Gro - it's mostly hype and not worth the expense. A granular organic will generate much better results.

Some points for you, and this thread: 1. Stems oft don't look woody until Fall or Winter. 2. If you have this potted 100% of the time, simply set under a deck, in a shed, or against a foundation and this should be adequate protection for your dormant stems in zone 7. 3. Michigan Bulb makes up names for all of its plants. Probably to circumvent any patents that may exist, as they are reputed to be a shady outfit. The REAL name for the plant is probably something along the lines of 'Bavaria' or 'Red Ace', NOT 'Raspberry Parfait'. 4. Most bi-colored hydrangea bloom on previous year's growth, hence the need to NOT cut these back. Wait until early June to cut back any stems that haven't begun to produce green growth again. 5. The cow manure probably made the pH of the soil so rich that the heavy pigment of the flowers made the white edges unnoticeable. --------------------------------------------------------- 6. PNW didn't get the Polar Vortex nearly as bad as the central and eastern US.

Where did you place them? Are they in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sun each day? They may have gotten some sort of disease. Ants on peonies is a good thing, I guess, since they're attracted to the sweetness of them. They don't hurt them. Did they bloom prior, this was 3 years ago, and they bloomed fine the other years? Maybe try giving them some fertilizer- there's a brand by Bayer- it's a three in one for roses and flowering plants. You only apply it a few times, maybe that will help, I do know peonies do not like to be transplanted, they may take awhile to recover from that move, so be patient with them. You can also go to the peony forum, those folks know alot too. Good luck to you.