By Cindyeaton
Indiana,
United States 
If the top looks dead but the bottom is very much alive producing new growth, should we doing anything to it or just leave it alone? We love them and don't want to lose them. Thank you.
21 May, 2015
If you cut away the dead wood, that would eliminate all kinds of problems. Some plants take better to pruning then others, but if it's dead it should be cut away.
That's what I did with my forsythia - the top burned up in a fire, so I cut it down to a stump. The roots were still alive. It's now sending up new growth all over the place.
21 May, 2015