U is for unknown plants

I am not very knowledgable about plants. I know a few and delight in pointing them out when I recognise something, but mostly I am ignorant. The only latin name I know is a Fatsia Japonica, a very sorry specimen of which my mum bought for our garden in Evesham about 40 years ago. My sister and I mocked this poor plant (and mum for buying it) but for that very reason the name stuck in my head. 

This lovely weed above was my delight all summer last year, so much so that my bench did not get its annual coat of oil because I did not want to move it and disturb the plant. It grew even wilder than this and I could only sit at either end of the bench because it took up the entire centre. I only recently looked it up on the RHS plant identifier to find that it is ivy-leaved toadflax. It grows on cracks in the pavement all down the street, which is saying something because there is tarmac as far as the eye can see around here.

Below is the giant thing that is taking over by the back door. I thought they were foxgloves but the bigger and taller they get the less sure I am. One plant in this patch had foxglove flowers on last summer (which was their second year, being biennial that is what you might expect) but these ones are now into their third year and turning into monsters. When I sent a photo to my sister Claire she said "Comfrey maybe??"

This funny looking thing grew last spring from what I thought was the dead stump of something, and also turned into a delight. It is Lovage and grew into a huge plant (though not as big as the one I spotted growing at the garden centre). It is a herb, and you can make a tea with it I believe. The bees very much enjoyed the flowers. It dies back completely in the winter but is sprouting again already.

This was a mystery bulb that I stuck in a pot last spring, it turned out to be a dahlia and flowered for months, small, yellow, unshowy flowers that gave me much joy. It wintered outside so it may or may not do the same this year.

This was (yet another) one from mum. She did label all the things she sent home with me, but the writing faded and I was back to just saying 'isn't it lovely, I have no idea what it's called'. Any ideas?

While I do grow a lot of things deliberately it is the happy accidents that make the summer interesting. I like to let things that pop up in random pots have a chance to show their true colours.

Linking back to the A to Z Challenge.

Stay safe. Be kind. Learn a new plant name (failing that learn the name of someone at work I don't know).