What am I harbouring here?

[MrsBertBibby]

I don't recall planting it, any clues? Croc for scale.

Are there any flowers forming? I can’t tell what it is, but love the croc.

Could it be rosebay willowherb? It will grow anywhere. You'd know when it starts flowering.

Yes, looks like willowherb.

It looks more clumpy than willowherb usually does, though.

The leaves look too serrated.

Not rosebay willow herb, leaves the wrong shape. Not downy enough for great willow herb. You could try looking at purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicifolia

Forsythia maybe?

I can't imagine where purple loosestrife would have come from, and we are very well drained being on a chalk hillside! But I shall watch it with interest.

Leaves too long for forsythia. Forsythia has more oval levels.

Yeah, agree purple loosestrife wouldn't like those conditions, and your plant is looking very healthy. Please tell us when it flowers.

I very much doubt it’s purple loosestrife tbh, I have lots of it and it is only just starting to leaf out in May.
I would be very surprised for a purple loosestrife to have so much lush, healthy growth at this time of year.

I think I have worked it out, it's goldenrod.

Dammit, too big and the wrong colour for the spot. Going to have to dig it out.

Those serrated leaves don’t look like golden rod.

My purple loosestrifes have plenty of leafy growth - they're in a damp clay shady border. I just put the taller size of hoop on them today. Here's a couple of photos for comparison including one with a croc-type shoe.

But the leaves are plain, not serrated.

Wow!
Mine are literally brown stalks with teeny weeny green baby leaves at the base.
They are always like that in May then quickly shoot up

@MrsBertBibbyMy golden rod has no serrated leaves and is a metre tall. Posting a pic.

Only thing in my garden with leaves like that is the big daisies. How tall is your mystery plant?

Could it be aster leaves ? Mine have shot up in the last week after the rain

Oh FGS.

Bloody willowherb.

Planting space, though!

@MrsBertBibby

Oh FGS.

Bloody willowherb.

Ha! I'm impressed you came back and gave us some resolution

It's probably good for the bees and all that anyway