What's it like in your garden?

<span><span>Koalagirlwrote (see)

<span>My toms are actually not as far ahead as they normally are.  In fact everything is behind.  I've just been checking my gardening diary and this year the apple blossom is about three weeks behind last year.  The <span>cotoneasterwas in full flower by 9th May last year but this year it is nowhere near flowering.

This will be the third year I have kept visual records of my borders to capture the beauty of the plants I choose to grow and also to help me make improvements for the following seasons. I always begin in April and label the files by early, mid or late Month and Year. This year, I was busy comparing my progress against other years and noticed not only slower growth in plants, but also a change in growth patterns, for instance, last year my poppies were already half grown in early April while my Acanthus was still a ripple of emerging leaves come early May whereas this year, the poppies have been slower and the Acanthus is already at a sizable leaf. My Sedum is massive already and my blossom is decidedly late to coincide with my Ceanothus for the first time that I recall and my Hostas were much earlier last year than this.

What have you guys noticed about your favourite shrubs and herbaceous plants?

Cherry blossom is late this year, and my aquilegias seem to be about a fortnight late.

On the other hand, my daffodils are lasting longer than they did last year because it's been so cold.

I have a paeony callled Molly the Witch, it is normally out for my sons birthday(8th May).  Last year it was out for my birthday (17 april) and was over by May, this year the buds are refusing to open. Hopefully when we get some warm sun everything will burst into flower.

My cherry blosom flowered for the first time this year in 3 without anthids being farmed by ants - thanks Alina for your advise in a past life.

I've alot of veg and flowers doing well at seedling stage after being been potted up and now waiting to go out, toms are looking fab, chilli's look good but sweet peppers and  aubergines are painfully slow.

I'm a novice with flowers and find them alot harder to grow from seed than veg. Cornflower sown in October last year survived the winter put I'm down to only 2 plants now after potting up. Dahlia tubers aren't producing shoots yet but seeds have done really well and I've 12 plants ready to out

You're welcome, Zoomer44

Many annuals, such as cornflowers, prefer being sown where they are to flower and left alone - that may be part of your problem.

Well done on the dahlias, though.