Ive gotten really into Gardening the past 2 years an i bought a Butterfly bush Summer of 06 an in the spring i think it was May, June from what i remember it appeared dead, It was all grey no life to it by the way it looked so i decided to cut it down an dig it up, When i cut it down i noticed the inside branch had green in it ive been wondering ever since if it was still alive?, I bought 5 more Bushes last Summer an am hoping they survived over winter, I am wondering if it takes awhile for it to look alive because i dont wanna dig them up if their still alive, So please give me any information on this thank you.

Green inside does suggest the bush was still alive but I'm not a gardener so I don't know. Maybe you could go to a garden centre and ask their advice.