lavendar looks dead underneath

Lavendars can be a bit of a pain if you don't prune them at the right time in the right place. After they have flowered, then is the time to prune them back to as low as possible without cutting into the dead wood. You could try cutting them back hard, but the dead wood has really taken over this plant and may not survive. Give them a good feed with some Bonemeal and make sure the soil is a John Innes no.3 gravelly based mix as these plants like these conditions.

I think I would cut out the parts that are totally dead and leave the rest until it flowers and then prune back to one or two buds. As your first response said they can be quite tricky to get looking just right.
On the other hand new lavender plants are not expensive !!

ok i have been out and cut off as much dead as i can manage. will just have to see what happens now and do a harsh prune after flowering. if after pruning they dont recover i will replace. maybe with something else but i do like the smell of the lavender

I remember Chris Beardshaw saying if you plant the lavender in a deep pot with the new growth above the soil level and the dead below it should rejuvenate. Some lavender I had has done the same so I am trying this method to see if it works.

will try that see what happens

How about having a go at propagating it?
From Gardenaction.com
The best method is to take heel cuttings in spring.

To take a heel cutting, identify a healthy looking shoot which is about 10cm (4in) long and pull it down and away from the main stem. You will end up with a shoot which has a "heel" of the main stem at its base. If the heel is a bit to long then trim it up a bit with a sharp knife.

Dip the "heel" in hormone rooting powder or solution, make a small hole in the compost with a pencil and place the cutting in the soil with the "heel" lowermost. About 3cm (1in) of the cutting should be below the soil. Gently firm the soil down around the cutting. Keep the cuttings in a light airy position out of direct sunlight keeping the soil just moist.

The lavender should show some signs of growth around 4 to 6 weeks later. If it outgrows the pot, pot into a larger one. The rooted cutting can be planted in its final position in early autumn.

sounds easy enough will loo for rooting powder tomorrow when i out and about.

thanks for that