Mine grow fairly fast. They are prone to watersprouts so keep an eye on those and cut them out. Watch that branches don't touch the ground as they will root and spread outward. You can prune them any time after flowering but before midsummer. While they're young you might want to prune selectively for shape and shrubbiness.

I hope yours bloom, they should in Z5. Here mine only bloom about every 4-5 years.

Yes, watch the spreading, they can become weedy. In zone 3 the shoots were hardy for me but the flower buds only survived below snowline. I was growing "Northern Gold" or something like that. In zone 5 I think the flower buds should survive for you to the tip. Mine were a novelty in zone 3, but not impressive, so I took them out... took two or three years to completely kill them off. Should make a good hedge for you, especially if you let them spread horizontally to completely fill in the row.

Thanks for the tips! I didn't realize that they rooted so easily. No problem. Where I planted them, the fence goes south and they will have an eastern exposure. They should fill in nicely. The area also gets some good snow when the winds doesn't blow the snow away. Maybe I'll put up some snow fence for the first few years until these guys are established. With the winds, we still get a lot of winter kill on the tips of shrubs. Usually I just prune that off. I'm looking forward to a nice hedge! Thanks. Marg

My DH & son cut my mom's clear down to the ground four years ago because it had gotten way out of control growing too tall and too wide. She says it's full grown again! And very beautiful this spring.