A question first about the Miracle Gro Garden Soil, Did you mix the soil with your native soil 50/50 or fill the hole with that soil? It is supposed to be an addition to your soil . I prefer potting mix as it gives better drainage. As far as losing leaves during Winter almost all of mine lose them all over the Winter and I cut them off at the start of March. They are not heavy feeders at all , I give a little 5 5 5 in the Spring and some fish emulsion once a month or so. The plants you buy are greenhouse grown under prime conditions so most times in your landscape plants will have somewhat smaller leaves but without pics hard to tell if they are too small. Color can vary depending on location , I have had plants of same variety just a few feet apart with very different looks . You need to find that right balance of enough sun for color without them getting burned. For me the ones with Villosa in their background have done the best . Out of the 3 you have only Electra has been a good grower , sadly the more intense the orange or red the weaker they seem. I would suggest Caramel for an orange tone and Monster Mahogany for a red. Good luck with them and I hope some of this helped.
