Why does these plants keep dying? Answers for your garden questions

Q. Is there a secret to pruning lavender? Every time I try to cut it back it ends up dying!

Lavender is a tough plant and will grow exceptionally well in the hot, dry inland areas. Sometimes a little too well. I’ve had some lavender plants grow to be 6 feet across. Unfortunately, when it gets that big it will sometimes look kind of rangy. The top part may be covered with flower spikes, but the bottom part will show a lot of bare wood and become unattractive. The temptation is to cut the...