Lobelia

I have three Queen Victoria plants, divided from the original a couple of years ago.  Earlier in the year I gave a cutting that had broken off to my sister.  My three plants are thriving, as was my sister's.  However, the other morning she noticed it had been literally torn to shreds.  There was virtually nothing left of it, including the thick stem.  This happened overnight.  The other plants close by are not affected.  What on earth could be the cause?

I grow these too and can't imagine what has happened to yours. Were the torn bits all laying around it then? Could it have been a cat?

Snails

Wood pigeons got mine a few years ago

I could have been many things.

Loeblia Queen Victoria are certainly very susceptible to slug damage. They can easily be decimated and cut right down, so that just the stumps remain.

I had one which was cut right down several weeks ago. I don't know how swiftly it happened, only that I suddenly noticed that the plant had disappeared. It was in a pot, so I brought the pot into the greenhouse and gave it some TLC. Not actually a lot I could do, apart from keeping it warm and away from any slugs. It has now recovered, through might not bear many flowers this season.

I bought one and planted in my new border, It disappeared during the same day. But discovered moments later after finding a short stem 1" high, that one of my chickens had been over the fence and eaten most of it. She had a bit of leaf stuck to her leg. I had prepared the area around the base to fight off slimeys, but never thought about hens.