Beginner Gardening: Pieris Japonica Winter Damage, 1 by buddyjack2

buddyjack2 wrote:
I have an 11-year-old Pieris Japonica approx. 6' high that sustained severe winter damage here in Michigan, when the temperature plummeted to -15 F over a couple of nights in January 2014. I had surrounded the shrub with staked burlap, had watered it somewhat heavily into fall before mulching with aged pine bark and spraying with Wilt-Pruf dessicant, yet the unusually cold temperatures did their work. All but the very lowest 1' of leaves turned brown and, now that it's April, they've fallen off leaving very brittle thin branches behind. Should I prune it back to the green 1' height or wait a few more weeks for signs of recovery in those brittle top branches? Attached is a pic taken before the brown leaves dropped off.