Help me identify some plants? - part 1

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

I've still got a few mystery plants in the garden from the previous owners, anyone feel like helping me figure out what they are?

I've put the first few pics on my profile, don't think they will all fit at once so I will add some more later on when I've hopefully found out what some of these are and can take them off!

The top one I think may be a euphorbia?? But I'm not very knowledgeable really so it could be anything... it is about knee height, fairly bushy and vigorous, no flowers so far but just the orangey bits you can see on the picture.

The other 3 are all different parts of the same plant, which appeared in the front garden - it's huge (taller than me), big leaves, very vigorous and with sort of grass-like seedheads that you can see on one of the pictures. The stems are sort of whitish. I've no ideas at all on that one! Thank you!

Last night I nearly jokingly said it looks like Japanese Knotweed but decided that was cruel and ...er I couldn't remember the name

I hope it isn't (i'm sure it won't be)

Stems are wrong colour.

I've had a look at some pics of knotweed but it doesn't really look like that. Some similarity to the flowers, but the leaves and stems are different - thankfully! Also, it hasn't spread at all from where it started so it doesn't seem that invasive. I think probably it is a tall sort of dock like someone suggested.

Don't worry its definitely not Japanese knotweed. The top plant looks a bit to me like some kind of sorrel, though it is very big. I once had french sorrel in a herb garden growing next to lovage - like yours, is which is what made me think of it. If it is, then its a really nice salad leaf - tastes like sharp green apples.

Ahhh that is interesting chix, and it does look rather like the pics on google! I suppose if the previous owners were into that sort of thing it would make sense to have sorrel and lovage together. They are in the same bit of the garden where the rhubarb, berries and apples are too.

Is there a way to check for sure, short of eating some? And can it grow that tall (at least 5ft)?

Our garden is turning out to be even more interesting than I thought Unusual edibles and posh architectural things - whatever next?

The sorrel I had was about 3ft and the wild one is smaller but there are lots of varieties. I don't know how you'd check for sure short of tasting a bit. Maybe post a close up pic of a leaf?

It could well be sorrel as it's a close relative of dock. They are from the same family, Rumex, and are all edible. So if you like the taste of it, keep it, I'd say.

Belated update - I did taste the "sorrel" eventually, but it didn't taste of anything particularly so I think maybe it's just dock. Either way I think I will get rid of it, as it just looks scruffy and doesn't seem good to eat either.

On the other hand, the virginia creeper I found under the spiky thing is now turning to gorgeous russet colours! Think I will definitely have to move it to somewhere it can really climb, to get the full effect. I actually like it better than the one we bought, which is more of a burgundy colour but not so bright.

Thought I must give a warning about a lovely evergreen pink flowering VINCA - it is rampaging round that part of my beds and smothering my other plants. It grows very long stems and when on the ground roots along, so weeding is a nightmare and can't pull them up. The leaves and stems are larger than the usual varigated Vinca ground cover and is very fast growing. I have been remiss in keeping it in check this year, which it needs doing regularly.

If 1 is a climber its mile a minute.
Spiky one is crocosmia
2 i think is dock
4 virginia creeper or Boston ivy
last is a euphorbia

seed head front garden Phormium i think
The other one with big leaves looks like a fig or perhaps false caster oil plant

Thanks Greeen but we have got pretty much all of them now! See above.

digerd we have rampant vinca too, though ours is purple. I've been doing a big attack on it this year, digging it up wherever I find it! Some of it is coming under the fence from neighbours though I think, so it'll need checking regularly I suppose.