Do I want these in my garden?

[RumNotRun]

Last year I scattered my garden with wildflower/bee garden seeds. All I got were different kinds of grasses (I think), no flowers. This year seems to be doing a bit better, well, I had dandelions so a bit of colour at least 😁

I have the following plants growing but have no idea what they are, and apart from two, I don't know if they're going to flower. I probably won't get rid of them cause they have chosen to grow so who am I to stand in their way, but I was hoping someone could identify them and maybe warn me if one is likely to take over or something.

I may have to do this in a couple of posts as the app often doesn't like me doing photos!

These are the so far flowerless ones

And one more

That first one looks identical to my Valerian.

The tall one might be snapdragon and the second one with the little pink flowers herb Robert.

I have a tortoise so have become acquainted with some plants they can eat!

I have all these too.
No 1 aargh the name has gone out of my head , will remember in a minute hopefully.
No 2 I think is Herb Robert.
No 3 looks like Herpericum. Will have flowers and then pretty berries, good for flower arrangements.
No 4 looks like Rosebay Willowherb.
No 5 very familiar but I am not certain what it is.

Oh yes Valerian . That is number one.

4 looks like it good be a lily of some sort

The red one is valerian - keep

Pink one is herb robert, it is pretty but it will take over your whole garden.

St Johns Wort - keep

Toadflax - keep

Burnet

Technically they are weeds but are all quite pretty. If you are happy with them then leave them uo, but don't worry about getting rid of them if they spread to much or grow where you don't want them.

Great! Thank you everyone ☺️ I Google image searched them and it said that one was mares tail which sounds like a PITA. I much prefer the identification of Toadflax. The valerian will please the cats no end, I think they prefer their valerian toys to the catnip ones but jeez the toys stink!

I'm quite pleased with my little garden now. I am so un green fingered that it is a miracle anything has grown. Thanks to all the gardeners on here though I now have a happy healthy buddleia out the front and these flowering chaps in the back garden.

No, don't worry you DON'T have mare's tail there (equisetum) which is definitely a PITA and makes people run away screaming!

Herb Robert is pretty and good for bees etc but it is stinky.
It will spread all over the garden if allowed but it's very easy to pull up (and here I refer you to my earlier 'stinky' comment) 😉

This is equisetum (horsetail, mares tail) 

The first is Red Valerian, Centranthus ruber, not to be confused with Valerian, Valeriana officianalis which has bigger flowers in pale pink.

no2 Herb Robert, Geranium robertiana. A prolific self seeder.

No 3 probably Tutsan, on of the Hypericum species, yellow flowers follwed by black berries, good autumn colour

no 4 Linaria purpurea, purple toadflax, spires of tiny snapdragon like purple or possibly pink flowers

Last one is a burnet, Sanguisorba species.

I Google image searched them and it said that one was mares tail which sounds like a PITA. I much prefer the identification of Toadflax. Another good reason to prefer it is that it’s correct The valerian will please the cats no end, I think they prefer their valerian toys to the catnip ones but jeez the toys stink! No! Different valerian - or rather not valerian! This (your plant) is Red Valerian which is a different species altogether.

@SirVixofVixHall I see where you’re coming from with rosebay willowherb, but this has too many leaves, and they have a glaucous shade which RBWH doesn’t have.

Agree with the ids above. 1&4 are both great bee/insect plants. We sometimes get hummingbird hawkmoths on the valerian- amazing insects!

Beware, valerian is a bit stinky too. It isn't especially stinky outside, but don't be tempted to cut it and bring it indoors - you'll keep thinking you've trodden in something!

Number 5 looks like a vetch of some kind - mine has purple flowers and is no trouble

Oh the cats will be disappointed in the not valerian Red Valerian. How confusing!

Again, thank you to everyone for contributing to help me and teach me about my garden plants. You're all amazing.

Just noticed the earlier photo of mares tail/ horse tail did not post so here it is. You DO NOT have this, OP 😊

You’re going from the compound leaves? But it’s not a vetch, if you look closely, at top left you can clearly see a typical Sanguisorba flower head.

True vetches have the last leaflet modified into a tendril.

Thank you, interesting. I can see now that the leaves there are v profuse.
And Sanguisorba , that word was just at the edge of my brain but I couldn’t remember it. I have it in my garden .

Oh the cats will be disappointed in the not valerian Red Valerian. How confusing! That’s why botanists are always banging on about using scientific names not common names

If you want real confusion try Rue, Meadow Rue, Goats’ Rue and Wall Rue, which are respectively:

Ruta graveolens, a herb
Plants of the genus Thalictrum, in the buttercup family, which are poisonous
Galega officinalis, in the vetch and pea family, used in herbal medicine
Asplenium ruta-muraria, which is not a flowering plant at all, but a fern

Infuriating, isn’t it! People look at my garden and ask what things are, and I’m stumped. It’s like a brain equivalent of a migraine aura - there’s something on the periphery, but if you turn and look at it, it disappears under the flashing lights.