Welcome to the Forum!! StephenDz, be careful! Hydrangeas usually have two types of bare canes from the previous year. The dead canes are usually much whiter in colour and do not show red/brown colored buds. Just went and snapped pictures of my Blue Hydrangeas (no chemicals added). They are all alive, new growth coming up from bottom, but the darker long canes have buds on-the-ready, whereas the very whitish canes do not, and will easily break off.
Hope you can see the difference in the canes. Perhaps your canes are all dead, unusual, but can't tell from the picture which shows a very healthy plant! Cheers!
