"and the plants do not look to healthy" Sounds about par for the course for Michigan Bulb. Maybe even a bit above par, since their plants frequently arrive dead.

These appear to be regular ole Hydrangea macrophyllas. Need a good, rich soil and some protection from strong sun. In your climate, will require winter protection, provided they live that long. Mid September is probably not an ideal time for planting out tiny hydrangeas in your climate, so I'd baby them quite a bit. Perhaps even pot up for a season and then sink the pots into the soil over winter or grow on in a protected location. Keep evenly moist, no fertilizer now.

FWIW, the concensus with the gardening public and certainly with GW is NOT to order anything from Michigan Bulb. Their service is terrible and with no follow up, plants are small and sickly and often not true to name (they rename many plants and sell them as "exclusives"). Many more reputable and better mail order sources are available.

I just posted this under the subject: Hydranga Purple Passion, you may want to read it. I planted my Purple Passion last October in Zone 5, covered it with mulch over the winter and they are doing just fine!
Please read what I posted,
I have purchased several Hydrangas from Michigan Bulb. One purchase was a special on the Nikko Blue, 8 plants for under $10.00 and 3 Purple Passion for under $6.00. When the Nikko plants arrived they were just cuttings. With some tender loving care they have growned into beautiful plants around 3 to 4 feet in just 3 seasons. I even had some beautiful blooms on them this year. The purple passions were planted last fall, and are still very small. One did not make it over the winter and Michigan Bulb replaced it. I have ordered several plants from the company and have never had a problem with getting them to replacement a item, even if I just did not like it!
Hydrangas are easy to grow even from cutting, lots of water and some good compost soil and mulching and your plants will grow!

"GardenGal48" certainly likes to speak for the entire gardening public, and obviously doesn't like Michigan Bulb Co. Frankly, I've ordered many, many things from them. I find their service is quite good. I have no idea what kind of "follow up" they have ever failed to provide for anyone, but what kind of follow up do you need on an order placed on line and shipped exactly as they say it will be? And the times I have had problems with ANYTHING in the past they ship out replacements immediately, or at the next shipping season (which ALL mailorder sources have). I think "gardengal" needs to lay off the heavy and sarcastic criticism.... I've ordered stuff from all of the "House of Wesley" mailorder people (online known as GardeningDirect.com) and Michigan Bulb and her affiliates (Springhill Nursery, etc.) have them beat by a mile. Who can argue with a LIFETIME, moneyback or replacement - your choice - guarantee? That company will NEVER refuse to honor it's guarantee. Now, unlike gardengal, I want to point out that this is just MY opinion and MY experience. Now that's truly offered FWIW.

Well "mark".......you are certainly entitled to your opinion and I'm glad you've had success with Michigan Bulb. But you are in the minority in that respect and my comments merely reflect what a good many other gardeners feel about that company and its sister affiliations. What you care to interpret as "heavy and sarcastic criticism" is of course my opinion, to which I am equally entitled. And because I am also a professional nurseryperson and buy plants for a living, there is a great deal of accuracy supporting my statements - there is NO registered cultivar of hydrangea named 'Purple Passion'. So just exactly what it is that one is obtaining from Michigan Bulb under that name?? And what about those "tricolor" hydrangeas (3 different colored blooms on the same plant at once!!) and "fruit salad" trees they are so fond of touting? Most horticulturists or even experienced gardeners know a scam when they see one.

FWIW, a 39% rating is NOT considered high praise for a mail order company. Read what other, less satisfied customers have to say about this joint.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Watchdog review of Michigan Bulb

Mark60,

I am a regular on this site and have been for a few years now. As far as I can recall, this is the first time I have ever seen a post from you so I am going to assume that your ignorance is based on lack of prior involvement. As a new poster to the hydrangea forum, you obviously are not familiar with the regulars here, but gardengal is one of the most knowledgable of the regulars and like me she has read and/or responded with help to countless complaints. When those complaints repeatedly share an obvious commonality, it's not hard to draw a GENERAL conclusion. Therefore, she was NOT stating her PERSONAL OPINION about MB, but rather reflecting a consensus based on the overwhelming body of evidence at hand.

The recounting of your own experience with MB is certainly inbounds and very welcome here, as your post also will be taken into account for others to draw from. However, your vicious sarcasm and personal attacks are WAY OUT OF BOUNDS AND ANYTHING BUT WELCOME HERE!!!.....yg

Mark,
You could count on me as a part of 'the entire gardening public' on behalf of which Gardengal was talking.
As an old expression goes, 'Fool me once - shame on you, fool me twice - shame on me', I didn't let be fooled twice.
That's right, 'you never have a second chance to make a first impression.'
And straight in a garbage all those UNORDERED funky catalogues from MB and SH goes right away.

Haha...
Woah, I think you all should calm down. It is not that serious.

I just ordered a purple passion hydrangea from Michigan Bulb for the first time. So when it comes, I'll let you know how it looks and how the service was.

And I think that we should all stop fighting about flowers.

I love a good internet argument!

I just order some hydrangeas from MB. They do rename their plants, but their web site has real names of the plants. Well, if they couldn't make it, I never have problem asking them to send replacements. But the replacements sometimes are as bad.
Ordering from these guys is always make me nervious. MB is the cheapest amount these groups. I have same success rate as those highly rated companies on the graden watch dog. This year, all plants from SH and MB are 100% growing, better than others, 90% to 95%. But I cross my finger, winter hasn't come yet.

MY PLANTS WERE SMALL AND I POTTED IN LARGER POTS AND TOOK GOOD CARE OF THEM FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR BEFORE PLANTING IN THE GROUND.....THEY ARE ABOUT 4 YEARS OLD NOW AND JUST BEAUTIFUL. THEY WERE COVERED WITH MANY BLOOOMS IN ALL SHADES OF PINKS AND PURPLE. YOU CAN SEE MY PHOTOES AT
TONYSPIC.COM LOOKS UNDER BERTHA'S GARDEN GALLERIES
EARLY SPRING FOR MANY BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS OF THE HYDRANGEAS.
I ALSO ORDERED THE SPECIAL ON THE BLUE MOON HYDRANGEAS WHICH
I PLANTED IN THE GROUND THIS SPRING. THEY ARE SMALL BUT
HAD SEVERAL BLOOMS WHICH ARE ALL PINK, BUT THAT IS DUE TO
MY SOIL I AM SURE.
I HAVE BEEN VERY WELL PLEASED.
THEY ARE MY FAVORITE PLANT IN MY GARDEN.

Technically, you can save anything that's not moldy, diseased, or dried out. But what beats getting something on clearance in person, that's still big, full and healthy with growth and blooms you can touch and see (or smell)??

Not accusing Mich Bulb of anything, but many who own these types of outfits "aren't from America" and use their independent wealth to start up businesses that "practically run themselves", using your money to order and ship items from third-party catalogues for cents on your dollar. And of course you always find businesses like this among larger groups of businesses that provide "bare minimum cost-to-provide" goods and services across this nation.

Being the great consumers that we are, we need to always be aware that we might be enabling things that aren't productive for our economy and especially gardening. Gardening itself is something that is proudly passed down through generations, and by giving money to people whose generations have paid for petty labor to do their bland landscaping, and/or have in fact NOT been here since poor people migrated here for the *chance* at fiscal opportunity, it begins to look pretty ridiculous.

In the end, you can probably do enough for your garden by dividing, trading, taking donations, and some careful shopping.

This is my first time posting on this sight but with a BS from NC State in Agricultural Business and a Master Gardener certification, I'm pretty sure I have the knowledge to post a modest comment. I don't know why people have to get so nasty to one another and judgmental about where someone buys their plants. Its just gardening, people!
I know this post was a long time ago but I stumbled upon it and thought I'd share. I ordered purple passions from Michigan bulb 6 years ago. I was trying to add to my hydrangea collection. A few didn't make it because of me and a few didn't make it because of Michigan bulb. But Michigan bulb swiftly replaced all that didn't hold up without stress or scrutiny. They are not "regular ole Hydrangea macrophyllas." I have Nikkos, Penny Macs, Oregon Prides, Lady in Reds blah, blah, blah. Purple Passions are distinctive in that the blooms are a deep purple like I have never seen on any other hydrangea. I have them as a woodland border because I live in the coastal south. But my neighbors have them in the hot sun and they look just as lovely. Mine are in well drained soil that is mostly composted pine needles and leaves. I prune them in August after there blooms start looking shotty. You have to water them often at first but once they are established they are care free, easy to propagate and lovely. If you're nervous to put them in the ground because they're scrawny, pot them outside for the fall, and put them in your garage for a dormant winter.