Will that be hardy there?

Well, it's got new growth coming out. I super mulched it over the first winter.

They are often late to sprout so you may want to give it some more time to see if anything sprouts towards the top and then head back to remove dead stems in early summer.

Thanks, Jenny in SE Penn. I'll sit tight and see what happens.

Often times the late season growth on CMs do die over the winter. Then again there are years when it can take almost until late June for some CMS grown in cooler climates to leaf all the way out.

Until they grow to be fairly well established by about 3 years, I would not prune any dead wood away until mid to late July, when they should by then be in full bloom, or have just finished their first bloom flush.

By that time any wood, which has not leafed out, most likely will not and will simply snap off when gentle pressure is applied.

It seems that, on CMs the thicker the trunks and branches, the less winter kill that happens; otherwise, the thinner trunks and branches the more winter kill those encounter. Try to train prune them accordingly after the final bloom flush.

If those CMs they sent you do not have any thick trunks; then, it may take some extra effort to accomplish that in your colder climate. You might even need to apply some constant winter protection efforts, which insulates those trunks. Evenso, you would need to only gradually decrease that winter protection, each following winter. A gradual decrease in your winter protection effort should give the Cms better chances for adjusting to your cold temp. events.

Also in their winter dormant season, do not neglect to water them if there occurs unusually dry periods with little or no rain or snow.

Crepe Myrtles love lot of direct sun and usually endure lots of summer heat. Hopefully the Arbor Day foundation sent you CMs cultivars which are proven to survive USDA zones 5-6.