Hoping you can help! The leaves of the plant I'm trying to ID are very soft and velvety. Rubbing the leaf between my fingers gives off a smell reminiscent of catnip, but stronger. A very aromatic plant. Thanks in advance! :) http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3643018&l=beccc430bf&id=1161642691 http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3643017&l=0c096ade3e&id=1161642691

Looks like Veronica spicata/spike veronica. I have one growing at the southeast corner of my house in full sun. It's very well-behaved--remains the same size clump each year but comes up and blooms reliably, seems impervious to either wet or drought conditions. Here is a link that might be useful:

I have several Prunus serotina, including one large tree that is approx. 50 years old. The big tree makes zillions of seedlings in my back gardens so it a likely culprit for mkaing your seedling. It is a wonderful tree for wildlife but grows fairly large with a somewhat rangey habit. The bark becomes dark and scraggy looking in old age. I would plant in a naturalized area. #4 looks like my Aster cordifolius (aka Symphyotrichum cordifolium). I've got lots of it - also a prolific self-sower. What a gorgeous haze of tiny lavender flowers in early fall, esp in mass.

now that i've googled the correct spelling-(photos of it were misspelled ' ran. fUcaria' in webshots), here's what i've learned. soon to be R.I.P.ped out!! fig buttercup Ranunculales > Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus ficaria L. Synonym(s): lesser Celandine Lesser celandine is a short (up to 12 inches) herbaceous perennial that invades forests throughout the East, Midwest and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States. The basal leaves are dark green, shiny, and kidney- to heart-shaped. Flowers are showy, bright yellow, with 8 petals. It emerges very early in the spring with infestations often creating a green blanket along the forest floor. Lesser celandine invades moist forested floodplains. It is a spring ephemeral and grows vigorously, creating dense mats that exclude all other vegetation. It is a threat particularly to the native forest spring ephemerals that have to compete for light and space with this invasive. Lesser celandine is native to Europe and was first introduced into the United States as an ornamental. It is currently sold and widely planted as an ornamental.