Lavender spreading everywhere!

[TartanCurtains]

First of all, I know close to nothing about gardening, so I try to keep things simple.

I've had some lavender next to my front door for several years now, and it's been very well behaved. I prune the woody stalks each year, and it dutifully flowers when it's supposed to.

However this year it has decided to spread and sprout everywhere it can - mainly between the paving slabs at my front door, and in my gravel covered front garden.

Why is it suddenly doing this now, and how do I stop it?!

It doesn't send out runners, so what your are seeing is plants growing from seed. Prune the flower heads before they set seed.

... or, at least, before the seed ripens

Thank you. So I pruned too late this year? If I deal with the rogue plants now, and always prune in time in future, this shouldn't be a problem?

Are you absolutely certain the seedlings are lavender? I've never heard of lavender seeding widely like this before. I've had them before and not been quick with trimming the spent flower heads, and never had this happen. So I am wondering if it's just possible that it's a case of mistaken identity?

Doesn't sound like lavender to me either, they don't really self seed. And if I did have lavender seedlings I'd be happily potting them up.

I have lavender (one of the few things I havent killed!) and regularly take cuttings to replace old plants. I wish mine seeded itself! As other have said - are you sure the seedlings are lavender?

This happened with my neighbour's lavender plant once - about 15 years ago. She got tiny seedlings springing up all over her block paving drive, dozens of them. It's never happened since, and she reckoned it must have been a particularly fertile year and produced loads of viable seed.

If you can get them out without damaging the roots too much, then pot them up and give them away. It seems a shame to chuck them away.

My lavender self seeds, I can always rely on finding a seedling if I need a plant for any reason. My NDN relied on self seedlings to rescue him in these years when he was too enthusiastic pruning his lavender hedge. English lavender, this is, not French lavender with the spikes on top

To be honest, I'm not certain of anything when it comes to gardening!

Leaving aside the little sprouts in the paving slabs and gravel, this lavender definitely multiplied previously in the soil.

One of these pictures shows what was one plant (at the back), and now two more in front of it (tiny one on left, bigger one on right). And yes, I need to weed!

The other picture shows what's growing between the slabs.

Lavender or not, everything certainly smells like it is. Have I bought a magic plant?!

It looks like it too, in the photos! Whatever you're doing OP, you're doing something right and your lavender looks lovely and healthy!

I used to have them seeding in the gravel drive. I potted them up and have a lavender hedge in the back garden now.

I have taken cuttings in the past, and also sprinkled seed in trays of very gritty soil and both have worked.

The like free drainage and plenty sun. It must have been a good year for them.

My lavender self seed in my drive, if I get them at the right time I can pot them up. My parent plant is an old English lavender.

Lavender is the one plant I have zero luck even when grown in pots with lots of grit. They die every year prob due to our cold wet north garden

I would love a lavender hedge!