I went ahead and planted it in a spot where it will get direct sunlight until noon. I think it will do fine there.

Now I'm wondering if these will stay blue. It has numerous flowers about to open and so far they're blue.

Don't fret! I think your first hydrangea will probably do just fine where it is, with dappled sun here in zone 7. I tend to follow the adage "sleep, creep, leap"- when referring to hydrangeas' tendencies after a transplant. Expect very little growth in the first year, tentative growth the second, and significant growth in the third. If it only gets dappled light in the morning and then really heavy shade for the rest of the day, the one you got last year may be a little unhappy, but my guess is that it probably gets enough light. The fact that it's flowering is a definitely a good sign! I wish I could give you exact sunlight requirements, but with bright shade or morning sun, endless summer should thrive. I bet they'll both be gorgeous in a couple of years. As far as holding their blue, I would just wait and see- but it's possible to buy soil testing kits if you want to know your pH right away.

Wow. Glad to hear you have at least one bloom. No blooms over here... too soon. The broccoli phase is just starting.

I have 6 ES that are on the east side of my house. They get direct sun until about 1:00 (depends on the exact time of year). However, the ones closer to the driveway are much larger, so I assume those like the heat from the gravel. One ES died over the winter. We had no snow, and the exposure did it in I assume.