I have had two BC for about 3 years now and they have done very well for me. I keep them protected in the winter as I live in a zone 6A. It finally stopped freezing just the other day so I went to take them out and the branches wanted to break off very easily and they did not have any sign of life. I popped one of them out of the pot and the picture shows how the roots looked. The color was good and lots of new growth, so why would the branches all be dead and no buds showing any where. I keep them watered all winter and they never froze or even close. I'm nowhere close to an expert on these trees. Help appreciated.