[1st time veg grower]

I noticed a small sloe tree in my front garden last year after I got into making hedgerow Jam (I also have an elderflower tree and a hawthorn tree...so someone must have known what they were doing). However it didn't produce any flowers or fruit - and I don't remember any the year before, though to be fair I wouldn't have been looking. This year, however, its covered in blossom buds...so do they flower every other year? I've noticed some of the sloe trees I nicked my sloes from last year in the park don't have flowers on and some do...is there an explanation?

(Have to add I'm very excited about the possibility of the sloes but am slightly cautious - my plum tree - in the back garden - had pocket plum disease and I had it felled, I know that sloe trees can get this too as I saw some in the park with the same symptoms...) 

[realfood]

Sloes flower annually in my experience.

[Nikkithefoot]

The blackthorn hasn't flowered as prolifically this year which may be part of the reason. The hawthorn is in flower now.

[1st time veg grower]

Looking at the trees in the park today some of the blackthorns or 'sloe trees' as I call them, now have fruit set and the Hawthorns are in flower.

I'm not so sure now the tree in my garden is a blackthorn as I did an online search and the way the blossom is held on the tree is different than pictures I've found online, but I have no idea what it is... the rest of the tree looks the same! I'll take a pic tomorrow and see if any bods on here have an idea what it is... All I know is it didn't have blossom or fruit last year!