It could be a willowherb but--based on my experience of growing them--definitely isn't Physostegia. But what it might be, before you dig it up, is Anaphalis. Not all forms of this are silvery and your pic looks like a form I've grown. But the best advice anyone ever gave about new gardens was to wait for a year before digging anything out!
Posts
The first picture in the original post has no furriness.
Im not sure if I'm confusing you!
Thje plant in the picture with your hand is a japanese anemone. I think we all agree there.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I still think it's a willowherb
It's far too greyish for physostegia if that's obedience plant
In the sticks near Peterborough
It could be a willowherb but--based on my experience of growing them--definitely isn't Physostegia. But what it might be, before you dig it up, is Anaphalis. Not all forms of this are silvery and your pic looks like a form I've grown. But the best advice anyone ever gave about new gardens was to wait for a year before digging anything out!