By Colingatt
United Kingdom 
we have a single very old lavender bush no longer upright, with multiple woody stems some almost one inch in diameter, so some two feet of old brown wood before green growth starts. can I prune/cut these woody stems back to allow new growth, or would this mean losing the bush which I would not wish. if I can cut back, when is best, and how low
26 Oct, 2015
Answers
Yep, average attractive life span, if they're clipped over twice a year, is about 5 years, then they get too woody. You can clip over, taking about an inch of foliage - and that's all.
26 Oct, 2015
You are in danger of losing it if you cut into the wood. If it's that old and bent, why not replace it with a new one next spring? They do get past their sell by date.
26 Oct, 2015