I planted 4 hydrangeas at my old place about 7 years ago. They never bloomed. I have 2 nikko blues, a lace cap and another that was gave to me (I'm not sure what it is). We still own that property so I dug 3 of them up and brought them to the new house early this spring. At the old place I had them planted in a front bed and they stayed damp all the time (it was a trailer with no guttering), they even had mossy looking stuff growing around them. Here, I cut all the dead off of them and put them in a nice shady spot and they have done great. I haven't put any fertilizer on them, just water. One is blooming now, a nice deep purply blue and the other two have gotten really nice big leaves but no blooms. The lace cap has white edges on one side of the plant but the other is side is all green. Any pointers on what I need to do with it? I still have the one at the rental place I'm wanting to get but it's overgrown with an old rambling rose and it's so hot right now I guess I'll wait until fall to get it. My mom always told me about/used the rusty nail trick too. Is it acid that gives the blue color and alkaline that gives the pink color or the other way around? I can't remember. An old neighbor I had used to put pennies in her soil too but I can't remember why.

Dont feel bad about ripping them out as you should be happy with your garden. It sounds to me though that they are either lacking something or have too much of something. Are you feeding them? If so, what and how often? Something else that you can try is cutting them all the way down as they might just be old and need to be rejuvenated. But that experiment might take another year to produce the effects you want and you might just be at the point where you are more than ready to get rid of them. I have four endless summers - 3 original and 1 blushing bride. My originals were bought at a nusery and were in good health. These girls bloom huge blooms all over the bush and they rebloom as well. I do not winter protect them any longer other than to shovel piles of snow on them. I only water when they need it (they start to slightly wilt or its a Saturday) and i only feed it once in the spring with some bone meal. They are in well amended alkaline soil so they are pink. Other than that i just enjoy looking at them. My BB was bought at a Walmart or Lowes and it was struggling when I bought it. It still struggles. It is really bushy with strudy stem but the leaves are yellowish and it flowers very little and produces small blooms. I do feed it Iron liquid but it just greens up a bit and then yellows again. Last Spring I moved her to another spot in the bed and discovered that she had one main root and it was a poor straggly one. After two years of "perform or you are out" I will be ripping her out this spring. I also have Limelight and Little Lime and they also flower really well. However, i would recommend understanding the reason your ES isnt performing well before replacing it as the lime light might not do well in that spot either if the problem is the soil, too much water, etc. also the LL needs more sun than the ES and might not do well in the same spot.

I'm coming late to this party, so please excuse what might appear to be "butting in." I have struggled w/Bloomstruck for nearly 5 years in my zone 5B CT garden. Only one of several of them has finally performed this past summer and it was a stunner. It's in a very protected spot (by accident) that has a source of natural moisture: practically ideal conditions. Even with all of that, I have concluded that this particular plant just takes a very long time to get established. And if the summer isn't a good one, chances of a rebloom cycle are practically nil. My Endless Summer Twist 'n' Shout is the best of the lot. Blushing Bride is almost flowerless most of the time even after a benign winter. They removed it at Coastal Maine Botanical Garden because of that. But Twist 'n' Shout always comes through for a rebloom cycle. The other one that is extremely dependable for me that is not a rebloomer is 'Lady in Red.' I don't wrap or protect in any way except to spray for deer and even after a brutal Polar Vortex winter, she has always flowered. In fact, she is one of the genetic lines for 'Bloomstruck'. The other line of rebloomers that have blown me away this past season are the 'Tuff Stuff' options. Smaller plants, vigorous, and dependable. But you are right to go with the 'Invincibelle' line. They are foolproof since they flower on new wood. Can't go wrong there. Plus over time they will form a nice colony and some of mine have self sowed around the garden. And I watch the birds over the winter pick through the seed heads. Lots to love about them.

I agree with everything said. No fert. let them establish, sounds like too much shade, but they are fine, winding down especially for new plantings. However, all you have is 5b, but I will highly recommend winter protecting them. I know they are marketed as winter hardy, and they'll make it. But, if you want blooms next year, especially with the amount of shade, I would wrap them up for the winter after freezing temps. I use burlap stuffed with straw. You can also use leaves. Huge difference after experimenting with uncovered vs. covered here in Northeast Ohio. Just one example; http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hydra/msg0821023324059.html?22