Sorry I forgot the picture!

Yes it will bloom this year on the new growth. I'm farther north than you and my ES dies back to the snow line each year, so I cut off the dead twigs once it starts growing like yours. The new wood blooms and has since its second season. If you had the relatively deep cold that much of the country had this winter yours may have had the old wood killed, though I think that won't normally happen in your zone. If your old wood still looks green, you may get new buds it.

Most of my Macs look like your pics too,sandyl, so "join the club". It has been a common experience this year.

I am going to give my dry-looking stems until the end of the month to leaf out because I too found some had green. But if nothing happens by then, I will officially prune them. You can do the same.

I had one year where half of the dead-looking stems leafed out and where I also had lots of growth from the base. I let all stems/blooms stay until almost the end of June. But by then, the plant look weird with some stems much larger than the new growth so I pruned down the longer ones in June so all the stems appeared to be similar in length.

Because ES reblooms, the new growth that is coming from the base will produce blooms this year. You may have to wait until June-ish/July but it should happen.

Luis

Thank You!
I'll keep the old stems awhile longer and see what happens.

Another thing you could do is press on the middle of each stem down and toward the outside of the plant. If it bends rapidly a limply, it's likely completely dried out and/or rotting. Yet another sign is if the brown bark has exfoliated and there is no green underneath it.

Usually when the plant has leafed out as much as yours has, you can make out flower buds forming on the tips. They have a broccoli look to them. If you don't see this, my bet is you won't get blooms from that growth.

ES is very overrated in my opinion. Mine never bloomed much and I think it died this winter. Good riddance.

ES is capable of a decent amount of blooms after harsh conditions, but is definitely hit or miss for folks, sometimes without any rhyme or reason.

And Dr. Dirr's research, which has supposedly "proven" ES produces X more bloom and re-bloom over its nearest cousins - cites no specific test sites in harsh climates (GA is great and all, but its climate skews results). He probably gets immeasurable royalties based on plants that have sold as a result of his breeding, so one can only be a skeptic of one who claims his own work is the best.

In conclusion, in northern areas where the freezes are harder and the growing seasons are shorter, you probably won't notice much of a difference between Penny Mac, David Ramsey and others with respect to ES. Otherwise, healthy growth with lack of blooms nearly always points to soil that's too high in nitrogen content.

ES certainly out preforms Penny Mac here. Not at all impressed with Penny Mac but must say the Lets Dance Series is also a star performer for me.

My Penny Mac has been a star and I am not impressed at all with ES (maybe it is just in the wrong location). I guess it all depends on where they are planted?

Here is a back view of Penny Mac from last year.

My Endless Summer (don't know the specific variety) looked much the same all the way down in Houston. I left the sticks on this spring to see what would happen, mostly because I sheltered it on the days I knew we'd have some kind of freeze, and saved as many of the little buds at each joint as I could.
There were about six days of freezing temps, and the 4th or 5th day I missed covering them, so the buds died. However, buds higher up on the stem developed in the days between freeze days, so I gave it a shot. Glad I did, it's going like crazy. I just recently cut off one of the long stick stems to add to a bouquet, and it served quite well to have the dead space as a stem.

I'd keep them on a few more weeks; if no growth, then trim. Maybe add some bows on the end, for laughs! :)

Bows!!!!!!!!!!! That what give me something to look at and the neighbors something to laugh at: I'm doing it:)

Bows = a great smirk in the face of the Polar Vortex. Have fun, and post a pic!

Saw this article and thought of your question...

Here is a link that might be useful: Grumpy gardener on hydrangeas with sticks

I finally cut the sticks out of the above plant, nothing was going to come from them. Its now starting to put out some buds, about 5 of the new stems have buds starting.