Do you have cats around. It could be that that place was their bathroom and digging up the plants was just coimcidental.

Whatever critter it is they can be deterred with cayenne pepper--try getting it at the dollar store. Sprinkle cayenne all around the area. If it is a cat he will get a mouthful of hot stuff when he grooms himself and so will other animals if it's not cats. Once it discovers he's getting it after going in your flower beds he'll stay away

I've had squirrels do that, too. They just like to dig where it's soft I think, looking for something to eat. Putting a few rocks or bricks around new plants can help, or plastic forks with the tines sticking up. Agreed, once plants get settled in, they're unlikely to be molested that way.

Squirrels want to see what you planted, if it is good to eat. I have had them go behind me digging up bulbs almost as fast as I planted them, just leaving them lying on the ground. I know because I caught them at it. One dug up a fern three times in a row before I put some rocks around it. The last thing they dug were three big eucomis bulbs, didn't nibble them or anything, just upended them. Stinkers. Try putting blood meal around your plants, sometimes that works. Sometimes I think they are more curious than hungry.

Sandy

Squirrels are a possibility. They repeatedly exposed the roots of a large hosta "fragrant boquet" that I planted a couple of years ago. Last year it came back in the spring but as a very reduced plant. it was so badly damaged I dug it up, divided it and re-potted it in 5 different small pots and am nursing them back to health on my screen porch.

Back in the 90's I was planting a large order of various spring bulbs. I had placed the bags of bulbs where I wanted them and had started back at the beginning of the line and started planting. I came to a spot where a bag of crocus bulbs was missing. I looked all over and couldn't find it. I finally gave up looking. Later, around Christmas, I happened to notice something about 50 feet off the ground in a crotch in a large Red Oak. It was the very distinctive color of the bags of bulbs that I had planted in the fall. A squirrel had apparently carried it into the tree and left the bag there.
As I think more about it the neatness you describe doesn't sound like squirrels which I've observed to be very messy when digging among my plants, throwing the dirt everywhere. It sounds more like a cat or a raccoon and my money would be on a Raccoon looking for grubs or worms. If you have outside water and food bowls for a cat or dog they will take pet food or things they've dug up and wash them in the water bowl. Makes a big mess but is a sure sign they are working your yard.

Try bird or deer netting over the area propped up with sticks covered with upside down containers such as 20oz soda or juice bottles on the sticks. I've also used wire coat hangers stretched out, then pushed back together to form the sticks to hold up the bottles & netting.

I love corydalis lutea or fumewort after 1st seeing it in photos of Europe. If the corydalis lutea is damaged, just cut it back and it will recover if you can keep it moist. A friend gave me a clump one late July day and it wilted on the ride home. I divided it up since there were many seedlings in there, cut it back to 3" tall leaving just stems, & potted. By spring they had good roots & transplanted fantastically despite the rough treatment. If you can get those new plants to flower & set seed you'll have them again in spring because it reseeds easily everywhere here sun or shade. I have even just tossed the cut back portions in places where I want it to grow & whoola seedlings in spring.. They transplant best when small and aren't happy in pots, but seem to recover fine once planted out.

If it happened at night, it was probably a raccoon, opossum or skunk. You loosened the soil nicely for them so they can look for worms, etc.

if looks like this it's probably a darn fox . These things are pesky I have one that I can't seem to scare him off . And I can see his little paw marks everywhere in the dirt . and I know it's for a fact it's a fox cuz I'll chase them off multiple times in the yard doing things like this.

In my yard, it would be the 9-month old 70 pound puppy who not only digs out newly planted things in the ground, but loves to remove flowers from my pots on the deck and patio. Sigh. I feel your pain.

I vote for raccoons. Some large rocks around the plants until the critters lose interest? Could be worse. I had a young golden mix I adopted who chewed climbing rose canes down to the ground and then pulled up the stump and brought the root ball in through the doggy door.

Here's a trick I use--you know those plastic milk crates? I put them over newly planted plants and leave them for at least a few days--gives the plant a little shade and usually keeps the critters from digging.

planted tomatoes, jalapenos, eggplant, sweet peppers. 2 day ago the plants are gone and holes in the ground like they were dug . Any ideas what would eat