the top growth may be dead but the root stock may not be. I am also awaiting new growth so I'm waiting until late april early may before i dig it out.

Hello cookygirl, some of the montanas i have come across recently, do appear to be dead, whereas others are all coming into leaf, possibly leave a little while longer just incase, i would check the stems at various points to see if any are healthy, if not and it is completetely brittle,then it may not be all doom and gloom, if you cut them back taking away all the dead growth, and water well you may get new shoots come up, this method has worked on occaisions for me so its worth a try. Julien