It might be, Janey - it does look like lovage - a very healthy specimen! Must be all the rain!

Thanks Mel, I'll take a piece of leaf off tomorrow and see if it has a smell or taste, if it's a bit like celery, that'll be it!

Lovage is known as Maggikraut in German because it smells and adds a taste exactly like Maggi Liquid Seasoning.

It grows very large!

I thought it looks like Rudbeckia herbstonne. but it could also be lovage. has it flowered for your before?

Fancy that Cestina, I use Maggi seasoning a lot though it's not easy to find here. Haven't ventured down the garden yet in this pelting rain......:((

No Sbg, hasn't flowered before. In my mind I thought I'd planted a rudbeckia root sent from Anchorman last year. I'm sure the leaves weren't like this though. I'll have a look at the herbstonne now...:))

No not Lovage girls, it just taste of leaf...nothing more.

Hope you didn't get soaked! Sorry it isn't lovage though - all that flavour! Still, if it's rudbeckia, you'll have the flowers (love their shape!)

Yes me too Mel, and I managed to rescue my cat, marooned in the greenhouse:))

Well done - poor cat! It's at times like this that I regret the fashion for long jeans! (or rather, the fact that my legs are not quite long enough for them!)

Hi Janey.

Im pretty certain it is the rudbeckia laciniata "golden glow" you got from me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/1224683654/

It grows to over 7 feet

Oh good Alan, I don't remember the leaves being so large last year, also I moved it, where it is now, the soil is much richer and with all this rain, well.........looking forward to seeing it flower....:))

It normally flowers from mid July to November but with all the bad weather most things are 2-3 weeks later than usual this year