Question
We had some warm weather in Chicago in April and the leaves starting coming out on the entire bush.  We then had a frost and now all the branches appear dead with only the bottom of the bush producing lush leaves.  Bushes were 4 feet tall.  Do we need to prune back down to the 8" where the leaves are coming out?

Answer
I would use your fingernail and scratch a cane to see whether there is any green on it. If there is then the leaves were the only part that was killed. Bud eyes can produce three sets of leaves so if it was only the leaves that died, then they will start to grow again. I think that is what has happened. However, if the inside looks like brown sugar, then the cane has died and should be cut back to the new growth lower down. Hope this helps.