Would anyone like to ID some plants for me?

[Muststopeating]

1a/b... Had a huge amount of foliage which had died back for winter and this is what was underneath when cleared. No idea what it looks like as was in the middle of a very overgrown/neglected area that I've just cleared.

My mum has something that looks the same sprouting in her garden and she thinks it is lythrum?

2 a/b/c... A very straggly shrub along fence lines that I presume previous owners planted for screening. Would like to know what this is so I can better prune it to get it back to a decent state.

More to come but limited to 5 pics...

No photos?

1a/b

Sorry... The tech is outsmarting me and it's taking a while. Working on number 2 now.

2 a/b/c... I had originally thought some sort of cotoneaster but I'm fairly sure it doesn't produce berries.

The first one looks like a hydrangea

That’s what I thought too.

The second might be Lonicera nitida (shrubby honeysuckle)

Agree Hydrangea for first. The second could be similar to something we have. No idea what it is, but it is just a "green shrubby bush" that I cut down to ground level every year, and it grows back like some vengeful monster 😂

I agree second one looks very much like Lonicera Nitida and can be cut back to regenerate but will take time to do so if cut very hard.

The hydrangea suggestion for the first looks pretty likely too, probably a mop head variety from the leaves.

Second is a Lonicera, a shrubby evergreen honeysuckle. I would have said Lonicera nitida, but the growth pattern makes me wonder if it could be a climber. Look enderneath the branches for flowers

Underneath

2 is a shrubby honeysuckle - lonicera pileata I think, rather than lonicera nitida. Large and shrubby, but will take hard pruning and is good for hedges. Strikes easily from cuttings too. It has tiny flowers, and insignificant mauve berries.

Sorry for delay, was planting potatoes (Scotland).

Thank you for all the replies.

That is fairly unanimous. I didn't even realise you got herbaceous hydrangeas, that would be nice.

Less excited about the Lonicera Nitida/pileata (poor man's box?) having looked it up, shame it's not poor honeysuckle-esque.

Okay number 3, initial panic was JKW but I don't think it is is it? Also not 100% sure these are the
same as they are in not right next to each other...

i know I should just wait and see but the suspense is killing me.

Bottom right looks like it could be a lily?

Really? That would be nice as quite a few of them. Not sure I'm that lucky in this garden though!

Thank you. Will come back and update on 1 & 3 when they're more grown up.

There is an app that identifies plants

Do you have one you'd recommend? I do use Google Lens sometimes but it's rarely any use at these early stages. Normally just about good enough to help me narrow it down later on.

I'd also be very interested if anyone can recommend a good plant ID book? I've done a huge amount of reading on gardening over the last year (and watched every available episode of Gardeners World and Beechgrove) and I've learned loads. But as you can tell my plant ID skills still have a very long way to go.

I use plantnet. It's not perfect but gives you ideas to follow up.

The third looks like rosebay willowherb

I'd also be very interested if anyone can recommend a good plant ID book? There are good books for identifying the UK flora. Less easy to recommend one for garden plants because that’s looking at european, american, SE Asian flora and a few more besides, not to mention all the hybrids.

Are the leaves long enough for pileata?

No 1. Campanula lactiflora.

It matches the patterns of colours in your picture with the patterns of colours of picture on the internet. That’s not quite the same thing.

They give a useful starting point but should not be taken as a definitive answer

Yes, if you look at what older growth there is in the photo, the leaves are a longer oval in those. Leaves on new shoots are more rounded, but lengthen with maturity.

Martagan Lillies are lovely . Could be them - I have the Turks cap one which has a strange pungent smell - They grow to about 3feet.

My garden is absolutely full of willowherb seedlings at the moment and these look a bit different... The leaves are a lot narrower.

Ah, very good point re garden plants and their origins... I guess there's no substitute for time and experience.