Tony Ellis wrote:
I found it difficult to understand. Yesterday I remarked on how three
primulas in a trough has done so well to survive our winter. They were
in full bloom and about 9" high. Today I looked and there was nothing
left of them. The flowers and the leaves had vanished. The soil is not
disturbed. There is no sign of the remains of the growth.


So something cut them off at ground level and removed the plant leaving the
roots, is that right?

I don't share your range of fauna but I very much doubt that this was birds.
It is either a human or an animal with teeth. Examine the stumps closely.
Were they cut or chewed off?

This might also be co-incidental but a few days ago I found huge
digging in my patio pots. In one pot with a T rose and tulip bulbs
something had dug at least 6" deap and scattered the soil over the
patio.
I live in a flat and my "garden" is on the roof, 3 stories high, so it
is unlikely to be cats or fox. The birds that are around most of the
time are seagulls, pigeons and jackdaw.
Any ideas?

In these parts I would say possum.

David