Hi,

Unfortunately, it sounds like slugs. They devoured a container of my wave petunias. The beer method works pretty well for me. Although, it could be anything as I have seen more "bad bugs" in my garden this year than any other. I don't use chemicals so I am just toughing it out.

Look for bunnies....they loooove petunias. I have even seen a rabbit standing on his hind legs and stretching way tall to reach a plant in a big container.
Slugs like petunias but the damage takes longer....they are not just "gone".
Likely a bunny found your flowers.
Linda C

In some places it could be rabbits - our cat usually keeps them out of the yard but he can't be on duty all the time. But one of the petunias is in a huge container about 30" off the ground - I think that one must be slugs. Will get out the Sluggo which I believe is nontoxic and safe.

And don't forget caterpillars.

Also never underestimate bunnies....a neighbor had a nest of them on a 2nd floor deck in a big potted plant.
Wabbits is wascally!

Good grief, Linda! What a predicament THAT was!

they let her raise her babies....hippy-ity hopping up the stairs....suspended use of the deck until the babies left then moved the pot!

My guess is bunnies too. I have done some mass plantings of quintuple planted wave petunias in the landscape. One of them was devoured clean to the ground two nights ago. No bug is going to do that. I have also frightened bunnies off from their dinner in my perennial house where I had two flats of wave petunias holding over to plant. Chewed completely to the soil line. Ditto some potted shrubs on a veranda. This time petunias, a jade plant and angelonia. They ate the petunias, devoured the large jade plant to the soil, and chewed off the angelonia and left the stem and flower to lay and die. The rabbit was sitting there and wasn't even very frightened. Rabbits love petunias and you'd be surprised where they can get to to get them.

I once had a Carolina Wren nesting in the wreath on our front door. Would welcome her back but I think we use the door too much now for her taste.

I don't even try to grow petunias where they'd be within bunny reach. In window boxes or hanging baskets, or up on my deck, yes. Elsewhere, they don't stand a chance in my neighborhood.

Well I did a liberal sprinkle of "Sluggo" around the petunia areas and all chewing stopped so I think in my case it was slugs.

Alyrics... I have something that has been eating all my wave petunia, marigold and a few other annual that wereright down to the stocks . I blames the quail, I blamed the mice or voles but tonight I finally found out who and what is eating what are left to eat..... SLUGS!! 4 inch ugly brown and black ugly slugs! I squished 4 went back 5 minutes later anothe 4 of those nasty creatures and then I headed out twice more with the salt shaker and got 8 more. What a productive evening . Now hopefully they don't find my hosta beds.

the question is that if these eaten petunias with tiny stems left behind have any chance to grow back if protected from being eaten further