Question
I have/had a Black Sambuscus which is a 11/2-2ft high and same wide. About three weeks ago a healthy looking stem had just dropped off and yesterday I found the whole main part of the main stem broken through all but a few threads.This also happened to a green Sambuscus,in the same bed that was 3ft tall and seemed very healthy. I then noticed a small white, slug/snail like thing at the base. I did not bother putting slug pellets down as I believed they would not travel over bark chippings, am I wrong?Is it possible this and others could've caused the damage? Could it be those things that attack shrubs at root system level? Or, I have weed control fabric then then a 2" layer of bark chippings over top could this have anything to do with it? If it is creatures eating it can I treat the ground with anything to get rid of them? Finally both the green and red are now at below bark chipping level will they come back again or shall I just pull them out? Thankyou L  

Answer
Hello Lorraine
with the weed fabric and the mulch its possible you could have some root rot going on. the fabric and mulch can be a good thing but they retain moisture a little and if weather conditions or location conditions are right fungus is created and the rot begins. try to leave a 6 to 8 inch ring around the plant stems to alow the sun to get in and evaporate some of the moisture.  slugs will hide under mulch and the moisture helps promote their presence in the garden.   Good Luck   Larry  ;-)