I have a 30+ yr.-old, SE facing rhody which was probably never pruned back - so it's (a very straggly) 9 ft. tall....with no vegetation for 6 ft due to deer feeding. An additional bonus: this winter was particularly long and loathsome here in NH, so the remaining 3 feet of leaves/buds were killed by frost or wind or despair - they are brown and curled, lifeless. However, the poor old thing has quickly and bravely grown out a limited number of healthy new leaves and buds at the 6 to 7 ft mark, leaving the top a brown, dead tangle. I'm taking on the rejuvenation of this shrub as part of a larger, front walkway landscaping project - of which the rhody is a major player. It has a history to the house and I'd like to save it. So, realizing it may look like hell for awhile, when and how much can it be pruned back? With what tools and where, specifically, can it be cut? Can this rhody be saved?