We had to dig up 3 well established climbing plants (Virginia creeper, a Russian vine, and Hydrangea petiolaris - "Japanese climbing hydrangea") in order to put in a drainage around the building they covered. Measures were taken to save them: the vines were kept in place, the roots were retained in big tubs filled with earth and kept moist for about a week while the work was being done. They have since been replanted in their original positions and, of course, the leaves have all wilted and blackened. Would shortening the old stalks encourage the roots to grow and the plants to send out new shoots in the spring? Or is it a lost cause?