Looks like it might be a flowering almond. Just cut off the dead parts--it was a hard winter in most places for plants.

here is a better picture of the flowers, probably confirming that it is a flowering almond.

i am in milwaukee, wi. we did have a hard winter, lots of snow. i would not have been surprised that some of it died, it is just so odd that it is almost exactly half, from the ground up. it also looked like there is some new growth on the non-flowering branches, but i am no arborist.

that is a closer view of one of the "dead" branches.
the lighter red part on the top left is what i thought might indicate newer growth.

i will wait a few more weeks to trim. even though it is almost mid may, most of my plants are barely greening up, and the leaves aren't even out on the trees.

thanks for the help!

Lack of snow-when combined with typical winter cold-is much more damaging than snow itself. In fact, snow is a lifesaver for plants. How did everybody grow up thinking snow hurt plants?

BTW, where was there a lot of snow in WI this past winter? I'm 100 miles north of you-OP-and it was the very lack of snow, combined with quite cold temps and a ton of wind that left landscapes in such horrible condition this spring. We didn't have the big snows of the NE, although all four of our previous winters were exactly like the headline-grabbing stuff from the big eastern cities. But not this past one. Are you sure you're not mixing up your years? One of my sons lives in Cedarburg-just north of Milwaukee-and it was a nothing winter there too.

+oM

it was pretty cold here this winter, with a decent amount of snow. this particular plant is on the corner of my house and had a drift of over 15 inches on it for a while. snow fall varys greatly, i am about 20 minutes from downtown milwaukee, and i would get 2 inches and they would get 6.

I've been watching weather for as long as I've been interested (and practicing in) horticulture, and this was a poor snow year, anywhere in WI. Just saying. A localized drift of snow does not negate the fact we had a horribly "open" winter in this state, save for far NW snowbelt area.

+oM