Please help me identify my plants!

[ClockWatchingLady]

Any ideas?
The one with the berries (which obviously I'm assuming are highly toxic till proved otherwise) has masses of berries all over the place in big bunches.

Thank you very much for looking.

[furrlinedsheepskinjacket]

red berries - redcurrants?

yellow - maybe potentilla

[WaffleWiffle]

The berries look like red currents. Could be unripe blackcurrents.

[ClockWatchingLady]

Thank you both very much - that's really helpful.

Can I also ask how I would test whether the berries were redcurrants? Without risking poisoning, I mean...?

[throckenholt]

I think the yellow one is a hypericum.

The red ones look very like redcurrants (not unripe blackcurrants - they are whiteish). The berries are in strings and often lots inside the bush - get darker red as they ripen.

[steppemum]

pretty sure they are redcurrants, check the leaves against a google photo.

The yellow one isn't potentilla, I know what it is but can't remember the name. Very popular shrub

I'll be back

[throckenholt]

Where is the red one planted ? They look exactly like redcurrants (leaves and stems too - they look like young stems - darked with age as well).

this might help :)

[steppemum]

hypericum

[ClockWatchingLady]

Thank you so much - you're all amazing!

I've looked up hypericum and it does seem to match, throckenholt.

I think the leaves match approximately with google photos on the redcurrants. I might try to take a close-up picture of them and ask you experts to give me a second-opinion on them later, before leaping in with the jam-making....

[ClockWatchingLady]

Thanks steppemum - good to have confirmation of hypericum.

Throckenholt, the berries are in a sunny flowerbed amongst who knows what else. One problem I have is that it's all a bit of a jungle and sometimes I can't tell what's meant to be there and what's not - we only moved in last year, and whilst I think at some point someone must have done lots of gardening here, the previous owners weren't really into it so it's all a bit wild. And I'm a total novice and can't identify anything.

Thanks again.

[steppemum]

well, the leaves look like redcurrants, the fruit looks like redcurrants, they are hanging in bunches like redcurrants do. It is the right time of year for ripe redcurrants.

I think you are safe to try them!

[steppemum]

keep posting photos, we will try to identify stuff!

Hypericum is very handy shrub. It is tough, hard to kill, you can cut it back as you like/need and it will be fine. Some people crop them like a hedge, some leave it like a bush.

It is evergreen , and it flowers form now until frosts.

Very common, but pretty useful garden shrub.

I have 2! (were here when I moved in)

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

Yes they look like redcurrants, I had same thing and found 2 redcurrant and 1 white currant bush half-buried in the garden we bought!

I need to post some more what-is-its myself sometime Hopefully this will remind me!

[steppemum]

I love exploring a new garden. Ours had a huge area at the back that was overgrown.

as we cleared it, we found currant bushes, gooseberries bushes, raspberry canes, rhubarb, and strawberries, loads and loads of strawberries

[ClockWatchingLady]

It is really nice trying to get to know it, Steppe. I'd never understood before the feeling of peace a garden can bring. I can't help but feel a bit nervous about dealing with it - it's not like it's enormous or anything, but I've only before had small bare gardens/yards with virtually no flowerbeds (and rented, so not much opportunity to get into it) - so I really don't know what I'm doing. Here, around the edges, there are bushes, trees with lovely-smelling flowers on, weird stalks (I think some rhubarb), mini strawberry type things...

I'm going to come back with some more pictures for identification later now I know how brilliant the mumsnet garden gang is!

Good to know that about hypericums.

Do you use your redcurrants, MyNameIs?

Thanks again to all.

[steppemum]

I have lots of red currants, but never really know what to do with them, but I have had recently suggested
cheesecake with redcurrant syrup topping
apple and redcurrant crumble

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

I didn't get any redcurrants off them last year as I'd only just found them (half buried under other plants) so don't think they got enough light and space - though I did get a few white ones. This year it looks like we should get quite a few of both though since I unburied them a bit! You can use them just like berries or even mixed in with other berries (whatever you've got), you can also use them for some savoury recipes.

Weirdly enough I just found another redcurrant bush I never knew about last night Or maybe it wasn't there before but just seeded from somewhere, in the middle of the raspberries and half under a rosebush. So that's 3 red and 1 white altogether now!

The mini strawberry things you have might be wild ones? - they are small but very tasty!

[ClockWatchingLady]

Steppe, I'm now having some lovely crumble fantasies.

MyNameIsInigo, how exciting!

I'm such a city girl that I'm not sure I'll ever get over the fear that if I eat anything I find/identify myself I'll keel over. But I really am going to have to use all the stuff I'm finding, now I've found this bit of MN!

[honeybeeridiculous]

Red currants and St. John's wort

[upupupandaway]

redcurrants and hypericum

[steppemum]

Oh yes, I had forgotten that was its common name

[ClockWatchingLady]

Thank you for the identifications honey and upup