LAKEFRONT GARDEN - What Happened?

Upon our arrival at the Ontario cottage a few weeks back we found a portion of the Lakefront Garden - the portion with the greatest variety of plants including Hardy Geranium, Ox-eye Daisies, Iris, Sundrops and of course the garden-defining Daylilies - had been severely cut back on either side of the steps leading down into the water.
An honest mistake by someone trimming the lawn, but still a disappointment.
This is how it looked this year: B-A-R-ECompared to how it looked at the same time last year.
Most are tough plants and are already coming back but will not be blooming this year.
This is how the rest of the Lakefront Garden currently looks, a mix of (mostly Kwanso) daylilies, Yellow Loosestrife and Sundrops.
I quickly set about remedying the situation by taking the rest of the Sundrops I started to remove from the Lily Garden last year where they were not getting enough sun. They were past blooming but at least they filled in the empty space somewhat. I also added in some Fuscia; though annuals are not normally my cup of tea they are hard to beat when you require immediate color.
Friends bought me these "Autumn Colours" Rudbeckia which I just love.  I truly hope they take and become a permanent part of the Lakefront Garden where they were a welcome and timely addition. 
Have you ever found an unexpected and drastic change to your own gardens?What did you do?
***Sharing with Garden Tuesday, Our World Tuesday & Tuesday Garden Party