Aquilegia problem.....

Has anyone any idea what may have attacked my Aquilegias - no pictures because where the plants were there is now just a pile of pieces of flower/leaf stems. We do have a lot of squirrels and mice (probably) plus the odd snake and of course slugs.
All my friends have gone for slugs but why leave all the bits?
Have dug the plant roots out and hope to recover but not ooptimistic since there is not a leaf in sight!

 

My guess would be snails. Slugs tend to go for leaves but snails just love to munch on those tender stems. One adult snail can do so much damage it's unreal

 

Hi Chobart,this is just a thought, I used to work in a Clematis Nursery and we would sometimes find the small clematis that were growing in the polytunnels felled at the stem, nothing would be eaten just the stem cut down, on further investigation we found out it was voles.As the voles ran through the plants they just bit off the stems that were in there pathway, quite entertaining to watch but very costly to the nursery owner.

Poppy

 

Thanks Poppy and Frogesque....I shall try again since I like the flowers. I have others in a different part of the garden which remain untouched.

Bye for now

 

This is probably not helpful but I wish something would attack mine as I am sick of digging then out as weed - sorry.

If all else fails I can send you some seed, though I have to say my nora barlo is very promiscuous!