grrr! It pisses me off so much to hear this. My friend had a plant outdoor in a spot next to a fern next to a fence just like yours and his was also ripped out last yr when it was in full bloom
Better yet they even slashed all his tyres...
Its really sad that these "scum" would steal others plants because of greediness and not considering all the effort that person has gone thru to grow their plants...
It happened to me a few yrs back when I had 2 plants outdoors in my vege garden well hidden with the tomatoes/corn plants so Im sure it was someone who knew me and knew they were there but I just didn't know who to point the finger at. This is why I moved into the greenhouse because its much more secure from bloody thieves. I share your pain bro