When you say it didn't survive the first winter inside, but revived in the spring, what do you mean? Did it drop leaves and die back to the stem? That very pale orange foliage looks like variegation to me, not stress coloration as I think the other posters are thinking. Variegation refers to areas of little or no chlorophyll, whereas stress coloration is a reaction to intense sun (and often cold) in which the plant produced other colors in addition to the green chlorophyll - kind of like sunscreen. I don't believe the pale areas of your plant could photosynthesize at all. The only parts of the plant able to photosynthesiize were the green parts, and they had to feed the whole plant. I can only guess what caused it (it can sometimes be a virus), but IMO, that appearance wasn't sustainable. The plant HAD to produce more green leaves or die. I had an Aeonium kiwi that did something similar. It started out green with white, pink, and orange variegation, but then it grew like gangbusters and all the new growth came in white and a little pink at the edges- no green. It was absolutely stunning to look at, but with only a few older green leaves to feed the whole plant, it weakened and succumbed to a mite infection. It didn't have enough resources (stored energy) to come back. I think you're lucky yours is alive at all. If I'm correct about what was going on, I don't think it'll ever be orange like that again, and that's good. Maybe it'll get some orange variegation, but not so much that all the new growth is pale and without chlorophyll. here is a photo of mine as it was turning completely white.

Be aware that this is Texas (I am in Hurst, Tx, west of you) and our hot, extended summers can hit the 100s for more than two months at a time so they will never look as fine as those in New England pictures and they will require plenty of monitoring in those warm months at first. Shade starting at 10-11am is crucial during the summer months (the leaves will not be harmed if they get full sun in winter or very early Spring). In my clay soil, raised beds were not used but I amended the soil to acidify the soil and plant them higher than the surrounding soil. I used the instructions in the link below afterwards when planting azaleas (in raised beds) and that may help as both typically have shallow, tiny, fibrous roots in the top 4" or so. The instructions are from Encore Azaleas, specifically for North Central Texas: https://encoreazalea.com/plant-care/how-to-care-for-encore-azaleas-in-north-central-texas/ Blues are very hard to have here. For years, I have been growing what was a mislabeled Nikko Blue that turned out to be a remontant lacecap. I am using more acidic amendments on it than I use elsewhere with the hydrangeas in the garden... to get blues... but, a funny thing happened on the way there... I ended liking the purple-ish/lavender-ish colors that it got when transitioning from pink so much that I quit trying to get to the blues. I now sprinkle about the same amounts of amendments every year to maintain this shade of color. Oh well. ;o)) As the roots grow outside of your potting soil, your blooms will begin to change to reflect the soil pH in the amended soil. Follow the instructions of the acidifying product that you use to maintain acidity and, if that does not produce enough blues, slowly increase the amount and apply as often as indicated so you do not burn the tiny roots with excessive amounts of sulfur. Once the flower buds open and the blooms age, they do not appear to change that much in response to sprinkling more acidifying amendments. I used to use water from rain barrels until the rain barrels started leaking and were not replaced. But that may help minimize switching from acid to alkaline too. The alkaline water and the soil's natural alkalinity will eventually revert all these amendments back and affect the blues so plan on amending "forever" in order to maintain blues. If you stop, the soil will eventually revert back to its normal pH. Some plants like Endless Summer Bloomstruck tend to develop multi-color blooms more than other varieties. If that interests you, Bloomstruck (or similar remontant ones) sounds like a good choice. Remontant, non-white, mopheads would be my choice when trying to get blues in alkaline soil. That is because I get blooms twice a year and I can therefore see how quickly the soil pH is changing the colors and see how it affects the bloom colors faster than hydrangeas that bloom once a year. For example, if the summer blooms did not change color "enough" compared to the previous bloom flush in Spring, that means I need to use more of the acidifying amendments. Over here, adding amendments in early Spring (I just did yesterday) and at the end of the summer is probably the minimum you will need to do; that will help keep the foliage from developing iron chlorosis symptoms but is not enough for blues; you would get pink blooms. You can reduce watering in the winter but water during dry winters. Begin Spring watering once they begin to leaf out in either February or March but fertilize at starting at the end of March, after the average date of last frost. On very mild years, they have started to leaf out in January so be ready for late frosts. Water deeply and use frost cloth to protect foliage when there are late frosts. A single watering in Spring should provide enoug water to get the soil moist down to a depth of about 8" or less (insert a finger to a depth of 8" into the soil after watering to see). Make sure the drip irrigation will circle the plants and provide all roots with water (as opposed to putting a tube that passes in front of the plant only). Plan to start using summer-time watering levels once temperatures reach above 85F (around April or May) and maintain 3-4" of any organic mulch (pine needles, hardwood mulch, etc) at all times of the year. Then add some optional manual waterings when temperatures are above 95F. Then similarly revert as temperatures reduce in September/October. This will minimize -but never completely eliminate- leaf wilting episodes (there is not much one can do to prevent leaf wilting when temps are in the upper 90s or 100s and a quick shower makes water vapor rise from the streets). While you can water daily in a potted environment, watering daily a plant that is planted in the clay soil may cause root rot at some point so, insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry. This will help minimize the chances of getting root rot. Once established (in 1-3 years), you can reduce or eliminate fertilizers. I like to spread composted manure, use cottonseed meal or use a 10-10-10 general purpose, slow release chemical fertilizer, whichever I happen to have around. But the mulch + acidifying amendments is all they get in some years). Quit fertilizing with all the fertilizers (liquid seaweeds, liquid fish, coffee grounds, regular fertilizers, etc.) about three months before the average date of first frost (last week in November)... so around the last week in August. This way, the plants will harden for winter in time and not be caught in "grow" mode if/when early frosts arrive.

I honestly don’t think listing your interests will make any difference to your user experience. It isn’t possible on the website version and I can’t say I’ve ever missed it. I’ve never wanted to find out anyone else's interests by looking at their profile. One’s interests and/or expertise are clear from which forums one frequents and the content of one’s posts. There’s a Bulbs Forum if you want information about hyacinths. There’s no Hyacinths Forum because that would be a very tiny and limited niche. There is a Begonias Forum because that’s a huge field. They’re incredibly varied and widely collected. ETA I’ve looked at your Begonia post and your plant is a Hibiscus, not a Hyacinth. Very different. There is a Hibiscus Forum.

Congratulations! The new plant looks very young and nice. You need to "check two boxes" when researching if your plant will produce blue blooms in a new garden: your soil must have naturally occurring aluminum in appropriate quantities and the soil must be acidic (soil pH much less than 7.0) so the aluminum will not chemically mix with other minerals and become impossible or difficult to absorb through the roots. Get a soil pH test kit to confirm if your soil pH is adequate. Kits are available at most plant nurseries although availability may be questionable during the winter season. Acidifying the soil with garden sulfur or aluminum sulfate may be required in order to produce blues or purples in alkaline soils (soil pH above 7.0). Follow the instructions on the package and observe the change as new blooms open (blooms that are already open will not change color or will not change the color much; also, normally white blooms will not change color at all). Apply the acidifying product forever per the product directions (every three months or ???) and follow the instructions precisely because (1) if you discontinue applying the product, the soil will have a tendency to slowly revert back to its normally alkaline pH and (2) the tiny, shallow, fibrous root of hydrangea plants could get burned by applying excessive amounts of these sulfur containing products.. If after applying the product for about a year or two does not yield the correct shade of color, proceed to slowly increase the amount applied of the product until you achieve the correct results that you want. A soil pH kit that gives numeric results may be more useful when doing this. Some color changes may slowly occur when a plant is originally planted outside in the garden, as the root system slowly expands from a non-acidic potting soil medium and into an acidic garden soil. Notes: Some rock mulches (like the one in your picture) may be alkaline and hydrangea plantings near cemented areas can also be in alkaline soil as cement leeches lime and lime raises acidic soil pH into alkaline territory. Blooms tend to be pink with alkaline soils (pH above 7.0). Below 7.0, some blooms may turn purple and as the soil pH becomes much more acidic, the blooms turn blue. Also Also, there are some cultivars of hydrangea macrophylla that resist turning blue and turn purple instead at normally acidic levels. There are too many cultivars that produce blue and purple blooms with very few differences so it is hard to identify cultivars. Can you ask the person who provided you with the cuttings?