Shirley, I'm so sorry that happened - it is funny how that will sneak up on you. I purchased two salvia in early March and parked them in the back yard until I could get around to planting them. Had a couple of hot days that week... full sun...black nursery pots... yikes! Thankfully, they have revived. I would recommend placing the whole pot inside a large bucket or plastic tote tub. Fill the bucket/tote with water and give the rootball a good soak. Lots of times we don't realize, but when we water a really dry plant, the water finds a path to the bottom and runs out...always along that path... and much of the rootball remains dry. You need ALL of the roots to get some good moisture. Let the water run into the pot from the bottom so that the plant pot slowly fills up from the bottom. Then let it soak, but for no more than 10-20 minutes. Then lift it out and let all the water drain out freely. I bet you will then see a quick recovery. I've used this many times and it is a wonderful method for a really, really dried-out plant. Good luck with your new little guy and let us know what happens! EDIT: Ooops - forgot to answer your question! I would not prune until you see the recovery and which branches are truly dead and which ones get new leaves. You don't want to mistakenly cut off a branch that will contribute (photosynthesis) to the improved health of the plant. Hold off for 2-3 weeks until you get a better picture of the plant's future. Carol in Jacksonville This post was edited by love_the_yard on Sat, May 17, 14 at 11:27

Bulbous type plants should be fine of course...the roots ingredient mainly targets shallow rooted grassy type weeds. I would guess, however, that neither plant is at its optimum with the underplantings. I have seen tangerine trees with underplantings that all looked OK...but this is a cardinal sin for citrus...NO underplantings. Bottlebrush probably prefers to be by itself as well, but I bet yours looks great PeaBee4!

I don't know about ruby-throated hummers because I live on the west coast, but the hummingbirds and warblers here do like and visit bottlebrush flowers for nectar. The trees are our neighbor's, but planted on the property line. It is a favorite tree for many other species of birds too. It must have just the right amount of openness to see predictors, cover to be protected from them and easy to perch on branches, because they are the favorite choice for incoming landings, startle flight, and just hanging out.

@ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6, thank you, I’ll have to pay closer attention to that; several of the bloom stalks were nibbled on, so it’s hard for me to compare bloom lengths. I will definitely check that out! @kitasei2, yes, they’re in very deep shade; one side of the bed gets some morning sun, but the other side hardly gets any…but they still bloom fairly well, I think, and have grown nicely. A couple of them were sad little things when first planted. I don’t fertilize, but I do water deeply, at least once a week…maybe try watering more frequently? Mine get hit by the sprinklers every other day also.