I hope it grows for you, too.

About 5 years ago, i was given 3 finger sized half dead lavender plants. nothing else grows in my yard but grass and weeds so i planted it not expecting anything.

The lavender is now up to my chest (i'm 5 foot 4 in) and about 5 feet across! Not sure what kind, but despite the sucky soil here (very clay-like), lavender does REALLY well!

I also have a cat problem- actually had to take down my bird feeders because of the carnage. Where do you get hazelnut shells?

I really like Munstead as well.

We pulled up a bunch of huge lavender bushes and planted compact varieties instead. You really can't go wrong.

I also like wood chips as mulch, if you can find someone in your neighborhood to split a load, you can mulch heavily and really make those pesky cats cranky.

nm

We did a lot of research and decided that a layer of black landscaping fabric (to prevent weeds from growing) then a layer of chicken wire (to prevent cats from digging) then a layer of medium bark chips was the least expensive and most reversible way to do this.

Not that I hate the neighborhood cats, we've never seen a rat or mouse around here and I've seen plenty of rodents in far nicer Seattle neighborhoods.

So far the chicken wire has been effective. Some neighbors put down a layer of hazelnut shells and that has stopped the cats from going over there as well. I am afraid that the landscaping fabric will keep the soil more moist than the lavender would really like, though. But, for the sake of our front yard not smelling of cat poop, I was unwilling to build mounts to plant the lavender in. In the summer months the soil in the front can get very warm and dry but I'm not sure how much the landscaping fabric is keep in moisture. We'll give it a few years and see how it does.

BTW, Grosso is a wonderful lavender. It's one of my three favorites, along with Provence and Goodwin's Grey. The last one has been known to send random spears up to bloom in December and January.