google: rejuvenation pruning of flowering shrubs ...

and go to town on this thing ..

you could PROBABLY cut it to 6 inch stumps.. and have a nice plant by fall if not early next summer ..

you probably cant kill the thing if you tried ...

you can not... kill things thru pruning ... unless you really wing it ...

it almost looks like there are two plants in there ... or else the differing leaves are a shrub behind ...

the most common mistake.. is pruning at height ... rather than near the ground ... that is just making future problems ...

i cant ID it on these pix.. but if it is a V.. google: propagation of Viburnum ... in regard to your other question ...
i dont know how close you tilled to the plant ... that can be a potential problem with some plants .. but again.. i doubt you can kill the thing ... water properly in case you did some extensive root damage ...

ken

You were right, Ken. There were two plants. The part that looked dead was the main trunk and it was totally dead. The one with leaves was a very spindly offshoot. I saved that and dug out the dead trunk. Easier than I thought it would be. I grouped all the offshoots together and moved to the other side of the spirea. The tall ones were very spindly - hope they survive. I gave them lots of water - probably the most water they've had since the spring thaw. I had no idea it was so dry in there.

Here is my attempt - don't laugh! Hoping it will fill in as it gets healthier. Should I prune back now or wait until it takes hold? The privet needs pruning too but it's helping to support the spindly viburnum, so I will do that later on. I didn't till too deep. I gave everything a good soak and added the new viburnums on the end. Are they too close together? Looks mismatched. If only I could've moved the spirea, but I had no help and I didn't want to kill it. Hoping everything will look better when it all fills in. Still need to get mulch and a border.