The last act before the curtain falls

I almost hate to see the asters bloom. When I see asters, I know the end is near.
This year they are blooming a little earlier than usual because I did not cut them back. Most years, I cut them back 2 or 3 times, stopping around July 4. I do this to keep them more compact. Most years they grow over 5 feet tall and tend to fall over. This year I never got around to cutting them back. For some reason they are also shorter than normal. I do like that they are blooming now while I still have other flowers in bloom. Usually by the time they open everything else is finished.

I have a lot of asters (even though I removed huge clumps of them last year). I have a rocky relationship with asters. They have weedy-looking foliage. The first two feet or so turn brown and ratty long before they bloom, so they must be hidden behind other plants to look presentable. They tend to flop over. See how terrible the lower portion is!



Every year I consider removing them all. So far they remain because:

#1 - I have so many it would be a major task to dig them all out
#2 - I would need A LOT of new plants to fill the space
#3 - They are easy to grow
#4 - I think the flower is attractive
#5 - They make nice fall pictures :)