why have my busy lizzies suddenly wilted and died

Did they dry out?

Did you grow them last year,,,,there was a virus that wiped them out last year....mine have been ok so far....fingers crossed

As amblealice said, there was a virus that wiped a lot of them out last year. If you are growing them in the same place again this year, they have probably become infected again. Leave at least twelve months before growing busy lizzies in the same place again

thanks for your reply i grew them in the same place as i always grow them this is the 2 time this has happened i have been told it is a bacterial disease i hane been told to spray the soil with bicarbonate soda &liquid soap i think i will plant something else next year

welcome to GoY.
it is always a good idea to plant different annuals in the soil one year to the next. this helps prevent infection [as you have sadly found out] and allows the balance of soil nutrients to re-establish its self. I wouldnt have thought spraying the soil would be effective and may well damage the pH balance of your soil. but iam sure some one else will be able to advise you on this better than me.

hope you find this site usefull. many of us do. :o)

I am growing fuchsias in the place where I had the busy lizzies last year. Will probably have fuchsias again next year then switch back to busy lizzies. Last year was the first time I had had a problem with them

I had the same problem last year too.
Have planted begonias there this year and busy lizzies elsewhere. Both doing fine so far.........

It wasn't the vine weevil was it? Those little blighters had all mine one year. You don't know you've got them till the plant wilts and keels over because the grubs chew through the stem at the base. Check the soil for little white grubs.