Cheshire,
United Kingdom 
My Bottle Brush has suffered this winter, it isan old well established shrub about 7ft. high. It is now totally brown after the frosts. Will it recover or do I need to prune it to try and save it? Helen.
20 Apr, 2010
Check for signs of growth, no matter how small, if none, peel back a bit of the bark near the base - if its dead, brown and dry inside, it probably won't recover. If its moist looking and not dry brown, wait and see where new growth appears and cut back to it. You can remove any growth that is properly dead now though.
20 Apr, 2010