azelea bushes, zone 5

[beth2]

We put in new landscaping this past fall after painting our home. Evergreen bushes, holley, grasses, hydrengea and azeleas.
The azeleas (three different varieties) are looking quite brown....does this mean they are dead? I don't see any buds either. I thought they stayed pretty much green even in winter?
What I didnt take into concideration when planning, is that the front gets a lot of wind in the winter....could this have been too much for them?

thanks for any help.

[MaineDesigner]

I can't speak directly to conditions in Rochester but here in 5b/6a coastal Maine "evergreen" azaleas do not remain evergreen through the winter and only a few are reliably hardy. A site exposed to windy conditions also does not help. Many deciduous azaleas do very well.
Depending on how late in the fall you planted that can also increase winter mortality for evergreen plants. I try to get all tender evergreens in the ground no later than mid-September.