In your zone it was probably frozen through much of winter, so it wouldn't really break down then. Now that spring is here it should thaw out and progress faster. Mother nature has been keeping things pretty wet here, but if your weather is dry, it would help to keep those beds moist. Rotting stops when the materials dry. Did it shrink much? You said you used grass clippings too. Have the grass clippings been consumed? I'd stick my fingers down into the pile and see what's under those leaves. Adding more N now (grass clippings, coffee grounds, etc) would give those leaves something to work with and maybe speed things some. If there's nothing under those leaves, you might need to add some other ingredient to plant in- soil, compost, more N to compost the leaves- just something so that new plants have something to sink their feet in and get a footing. The other option is to cut an X into the bottom layer of cardboard or paper and plant into the soil below it. The top leaves and whatever remains will break down and nourish the soil eventually. Karen

I grew C. trichotomum in my old garden and would routinely pull out errant root suckers :-)) In fact, my original plant started as a sucker from someone else's garden! But it was so gorgeous and fragrant when in bloom I put up with its aggressive behavior.

I mean I must of guessed it right Thought It looked like a Hydrangea If I can post better pictures , and you can identify it then I will My Camera isn't working I cannot post more pictures Myself I said it resembled Hydrangea (opposite leaves like one ) I was not entirely sure so I asked a question if it was on which it looked like ( could it of been a relative I do not know so I asked,)

Hydrangea macrophylla and serrata produce blooms that are color sensitive based on (a) the availability of aluminum and (b) the soil ph. When the soil is acidic and contains aluminum, the roots can absorb the aluminum and produce blue blooms. Your pink blooms were originally pink due to the soil pH being alkaline and-or the absence of aluminum in the original potting soil. Once the roots started growing into your garden soil with aluminum, they now turn blue instead of pink. My soil is normally alkaline so I get pink blooms by default. To get blues or purples, I simulate acidic soil by amending the soil to acidify it (a soil test done years ago indicated that the soil had aluminum). Macrophylla/serrata blooms typically go through a series of color changes as the blooms age and the color changes depend on the variety and type of hydrangea. One example, a new bloom may start pink and remain so for several weeks/month. Then the bloom may add shades of pink/reds/purples and remain so for several weeks/month. Then the blooms may add shades of green splotches and remain that way for several more weeks/month. Finally, the blooms turn all brown. If the blooms prematurely turn brown instead of going through similar color changes, it is possible that the plant is not getting as much water as it needs during the summer months or is getting too much sunlight. The blooms will eventually fall in 2022 on their own... at about the time when the plant produced the blooms this year or before then. Alternatively, you can deadhead now: cut the small petiole string that connects the blooms to the stems. The leaves should still look fine (until the plant goes dormant in the fall), provided that you are still watering well to maintain the soil as evenly moist as you can; maintain 2-4" of organic mulch (no rocks) around the plant up to the drip line or past it.