I received this potted European Cypress from my son for Christmas; it was beautiful, green and smelled great. I live in Zone 5 and after reading the tag noting zones 6-9, I realized it's only chance of survival would be as a potted patio plant, hoping that I could keep it on my three season porch (which usually gets no colder than 40 degrees in winter) and then taken outside in the warm months.  It was kept inside the house in a bright window where I could check the soil regularly, not wanting to under or over water. When I decided it was time to water, there was a lot of leaf drop. Thought it might be too dry in the house, so moved it to the porch. I'm afraid most of the plant is dead or dying since the leaves are losing their color, continue to drop and most of the stems are brittle now...except for a few stems that have retained their nice green color and are definitely still alive. Wondering if I should cut back the dead or dying stems and hopefully the lush stems will survive. I'd really like to keep it alive if possible. Appreciate any suggestions you could give me.

Regards, Mama K