We had a late frost last year after the prebuds started to open. Lots of people had trouble with plants not blooming. When it starts to get ready to bud, check with weather and see if a possiblity of frost that night and cover it with burlap, take it off the next day early am. You can also check the PH..........the tree takes 5.0-6.0 I am not sure about the bush, but rake the old leaves & residue around the bush. We like to use very old horsemanure around plants. Happy Spring.