Broom are either semi-evergreen or deciduous. If brittle and no sign of growth, that is not good. The branches f the shrub should bend without snapping and should be flowering now-May. They prefer dry soil and not water logged soil. They are sensitive to salt - so need to keep them away from roads and paths that get salted in winter.

Sounds as if the winter got to them and they haven't made it through.

Thanks for the info, I'm a bit gutted they looked lovely, I had them in large containers, maybe that's where I went wrong...you live and learn though!

:-)

Ah, well you lost them because they were in pots - they probably froze during winter for too long and it killed the roots.