Hello,Perhaps someone could help - all three of these plants had this happen to them within three days of each other

Check inside the compost in the pots - turn the plants out, look out for white grubs, or if you realise the roots have been decimated (hardly any) you may have suffered vine weevil attack over the winter - they love pots.

Any possibility that they haver been sprayed with weedkiller????????

Hello again and thank you both for your suggestions. I've had the peony & hydrangea out of their pots and not a sign of weevil. I know they've not been sprayed with weedkiller (not by me anyway, and they were not near each other) - could they have been too wet and then too cold? Sorry to sound so vague - volcanic ash? It's a real mystery, so I'll keep a very close eye on everything..
Once again thanks.

it looks like late frost damage, even hardy plants suffer from late frost damage to new leaves. the acer probably has cold wind damage its unlikely to suffer from any frosts as they are very hardy

Mnay Thanks.
Found scale on the acer, but still no clues with the others. Can't bear to bin them though, so off to a distant corner they go!

Can I ask if these are recent photos, Juliaq? It's just that on the one that's supposed to be a hyrdrangea, I can see what look like stunted flower heads on the end of a couple of stems.

Hello Bamboo, Yes, I took the pics when I posted the question, I had only just looked at it and thought that it was doing really well. I bought this and another hydrangea from Wimbledon Tennis last year (they sell plants off after the Championship) and it was a lovely dark blue/mauve.

An update - it was scale on the acer.

My other half casually said yesterday "Well, I did use a watering can to mix up some weedkiller, but I washed it out" WORDS FAIL ME.

Thank you all, but I feel I can safely say that this mystery is solved.

Bulbaholic - Ten out of Ten!!!!!

:-) :-) :-)
But I am sorry that this is the answere, Julia.

Give OH a RED watering can for his weed-killer only ! Such a shame to have lost your plants like that.

Once again, thank you all! RED watering can only for him!!