Question
butterfly bushes have yet to have any green foliage . planted last summer and did fine. i pruned them down last fall to about 4". are they dead?

Answer
Angie,

I am not sure that they are dead, Buddleia are a very hardy species. I think that the mistake that you made was pruning them in the fall. It is recommended to prune these plants in the late winter/early spring before the new growth emerges. this protects the plant from freezing.

I would recommend fertilizer to try to spark some new growth and water.

Good luck,
Ed Gulliksen