Solved What are these purple perennial beauties?

(I couldn't think of a 'p' beauties word)

These plants are growing in a neglected garden in well-worked clay soil...


This is struggling a little with the competition around it. I couldn’t take a better photo as it’s currently in sunshine. I thought that the bindweed leaves would give a good idea of scale!
Could it be a salvia?



These two photos are of a plant coping better... hand in for scale! Could it be a Russian sage?

Ok, this seems to be a pink sport of the same plant...

 

Just glance at the post to see if there are any ideas, and I was embarrassed!

I’ve been out with the “pad of i” and retaken them...
The first possible salvia plant



The second plant, possibly Russian sage, complete with bee.


...and a close up


And the pink form

 

Think it could be that well know weed linaria purpurea.
But I'm using my phone and can't see the pictures very well in full sun.

 

Like Pete, I think it could be purple toadflax, the leaves look right.

Interesting, didn't know they came in pink but apparently so...

Linaria purpurea

Nick

 

@Sian in Belgium Yes, that top one does look like a salvia but the flowers are tiny in your photo.

Nick

 

D’oh! As soon as you say it, of course it’s loosestrife!! I should know, I’ve got it growing in the pond. But it has a different shape in water, to growing in soil.

I will head out and see if I can take a close-up of the flower of the first plant...

 

Here is a close-up of the suspected salvia.


Each flower measures about 1cm from the base of the tube, to the tip of the petal.

 

Not loosestrife Sian, toadflax. Look at the link I posted.

 

You are probably wondering why I had Russian sage in my mind, when looking at these plants...

I remember that Dad had a Perovskia, many years ago, so I hoped that 1 plant might be lurking somewhere...

 

Double “d’oh”!!!

 

Was just thinking that might be something that does well in your very sandy soil just before you posted that! Perhaps in the slightly more fertile areas with a tiny bit of enrichment but not too much? They like poor soil, I'm just not sure how poor!

Nick

 

Well you got me confused, which plant are we I D ing ?

 

The first one looks like Nepeta to me.AKA Cat mint..

 

Sorry @pete!
Salvia suspect

Shape of plant



Close-up of the flower and leaves


“Toad-aly” wrongly guessed Perovskia - now identified as toadflax, Linaria purpurea

 

It certainly looks like it to me from the flowers, but not sure which species. My turn to "d'oh!" now, I've grown it a couple of times and failed to recognise it!

Nick