I think you'll have to get her to be patient - they obviously haven't grown anough yet - are they healthy shrubs otherwise? I would feed them in the spring - use blood, fish and bone around the root areas. Have they been watered enough, as they're against a fence?

Hmmm, there should be tassels !!!!

The lack of tassels could be that you've pruned the stems/branches in the late autumn/early winter when the tassels are being formed or maybe ..... the plants need some pruning in the springtimes to encourage their new growth.
These plants like to be pruned, it encourages growth and maybe they're not being as productive as they could be because of lack of it.
Just a thought :-/

I've had one, in a previous garden, where it didn't produce many tassels and it was because i was always pruning it to confine it to a smaller space than it wanted to be.

The one i have 'now' i leave alone and it has tassels !

Good thinking, Louise - now we'll have to wait until Topdecs answers.

I grow mine against a wall and prune it the moment the flowers start to fade. Then it has the rest of the year to produce new growth which will carry the tassels the following year. If your pruning regime is correct, try a liitle dilute tomato food in early September - it may just trigger flowers

Agree with Andrew's suggestions - except I'd apply sulphate of potash to the soil at the base of the plant in August/early September, rather than tomato food

Thanks for the replys, shall give them a try, if i can get the wife to be patient for another year then fingers crossed maybe some tassels will appear.