A few plant IDs please

[Beetie1]

Firstly, I bought and planted a campanula when it was dormant and it has settled in well I have a lot of lovely growth however I now think that I may have another plant in there along with the campanula. The first pictures shows thicker growth and the stems and leaves are quite hairy, whereas there is a long stem that has the campanula flowers on but the stem and leaves appear quite different and are smooth. Any idea what is going on here??

Also having created new planting areas and dig over and moved a lot of soil around I have some plants pop up that I don't know so if anyone can enlighten me that would be much appreciated.

Thank you

3 unknown plants

It could still be the campanula. Vegetative stems and flower stems can be different. If not, the leaves aren't characteristic enough to identify, so I suggest you leave it a bit longer and see if it flowers. I take it you don't know which campanula it is?

The orange flower is a California poppy. The second looks as though it may be a foxglove. I'm not sure about the third, but am pretty sure it's a weed.

I keep a spreadsheet as I never remember what I've planted otherwise. It's a Campanula Persicifolia Caerulea. Looking at pictures on google I don't think the foliage looks as thick as what I've got around the flower stem.

The last one with tall purple flowers is Purple Toadflax. It’s popular with bees so I would keep it.

Definitely purple toadflax. It's great- breaks up the borders, insects love it, and it spreads.

I think the middle one might be comfrey. Digitalis would likely be a bit taller in the centre by now.

Ooo I might have to move the toadflax as it's very closely snuggled up to something else. Looks like a good wildflower to keep. Thank you.

Don’t worry about the Toadflax, it will seed itself all over your garden, just where it wants to grow.
I’ve got it popping up all over, which I like.
The best bit is in my potted bamboo, it’s grown very tall and looks as if the bamboo has purple flowers.

Middle one looks like comfey,it has flowers,bees love it it also make good plant food or just add to compost heap when over.Wear gloves as it can be irritant.

As a few plant ID people are here, does anyone recognise this? I've been nurturing it carefully, but it could be anything. Hopefully the flowers will give a better clue. When it first sprouted, it looked very prehistoric- overlapping leaves like buds bursting up from the earth. It's potted with some spring onions, as it happens,.,

I've got foxglove seedlings still only about the size of the OPs middle one. But foxgloves and comfrey are both keepers imo so wait and see.

middle one - comfrey or alkanet

Middle one is a foxglove seedlings. Here are mine sown in May for comparison

Actually now I’m maybe not so sure!

pickle yours might be a Platycodon

Thank you Trethew- a plant finder app I just downloaded says the same! I'm quite excited waiting to see the balloons pop up- I don't remember planting it...

Oh good, I thought it looked like 'that plant I bought last year I couldn't remember the name of' and it is.

I think the middle one might be comfrey. Digitalis would likely be a bit taller in the centre by now. - no, not in the first year, they don't throw up the flower spike until the second year. Foxglove has softer, slightly greyer leaves than comfrey - that picture looks like foxglove to me. It's not alkanet, which has greener, rougher leaves.

if in doubt you can (xarefully) dig it out. comfrey and alkanet both have massive roots. foxglove doesn't.

if in doubt you can (xarefully) dig it out. comfrey and alkanet both have massive roots. foxglove doesn't. Does that show up in the first season?
I hadn't thought about it, but of course alkanet and comfrey are both perennial so carry on building up their roots year after year, whereas foxglove is biennial, so need the root for storage during its first (and only) winter, but doesn't have the lifespan to build up a huge root.

oh yes, even tiny alkanet/comfrey plants have a noticable tap root.

A bit of an update... and further query. So this is what the plant alongside my campanula is looking like now. Definitely not a campanula as it has lots of tiny little hairy flowers that are just starting to open. I now know I have been lovingly watering a weed.

Out of interest - anyone know the name of my interloping weed?

Looks very similar to groundsel.