Are my hydrangea's dead or dormant?

I live in zone 6 (cambridge ma) and all of my endless summer hydrangeas I planted last year look like skeletons. Are they dead or just dormant? If they are dormant, is there anything I can do to encourge them to come back strong? If they are dead, any idea why???

Are my hydrangea's dead or dormant?
I am in Sydney Australia ,and my Hydrangeas look like sticks in the winter as they are deciduous ,after the frosts have finished I then prune them back to old wood just above a junction of the new buds ,always prune so that new growth will grow outwards.Don't fertilise until early spring as dormant plants do not like to be fed in winter.
Reply:Hydrangeas may be dormant,don't do anything drastic yet,,they like a acid soil,so you may want to give them so acid rapid grow,you can buy it at the garden center. Good Luck. i hope they come back for you.

miriam