Why do my gardenias look dead?

I've got 4 gardenias bushes that I moved in the fall last year. They are looking bad. the leaves are falling and the ones left on the bushes are yellow and burnt looking. I've scratched the bark and it's green so I guess it's still alive. Would pruning it back help it?
Why do my gardenias look dead?
Pruning wouldn't hurt, but yellow and burnt leaves can be any number of things -- too much water, not enough water, too much fertilizer, etc. You can certainly prune them and hope for the best. My concern is that when they were transplanted in the fall they were not given enough time to set themselves into the ground properly before winter hit. You might get lucky with them. Try pruning, but don't prune too much or you could kill the plant anyway.