Redbud, I face similar problems. I'm not sure if they're field mice or moles, but something eats my plants every winter. I suspect field mice, I'm not sure if the moles will do that. If you've got moles, you've probably have a lot of Japanese Beetle grubs in the ground. Visit a garden center and get something to treat the soil for the grubs.
Mice do a lot of damage, by chewing the bark off the stem of the plants.
They destroyed hundreds of hundreds of my plants this winter. I'm going to set out some poison bait and start getting rid of them now before next winter. Make sure you fence out the rabbits, they love burning bush. It has excellent drainage. The lot next to us is empty except for some very mature pines and lots of brush, green brirer, and whistera gone wild.