I had 'Professor von Klippenberg' for quite a few years, but it has disappeared. I noticed that this year and was thinking that he needs to be replaced. I do have some annual asters and i'm quite pleased with them - nice show for the past couple of months.

That aster is very pretty, I'll have to look for it! How tall is it? I'm also looking for some nice fall ones. Marg

My Professor Von Klippenberg just started blooming! Is it supposed to be an early bloomer? I got a new Aster this year called "Jenny" that's a very pretty dark reddy -pink; I hope it's an early bloomer. Late Oct weather can be pretty iffy here. I also have an autumn monkshood that has yet to open up its buds; wonder if it will have a chance before a hard frost knocks it down? I think it's only managed to bloom once before.

The professor always bloomed quite late for me. September or October. An old picture tells me it was looking good on October 10th a few years ago.

Marg, with being a new plant, 'Pink Lace' has grown to about 12 inches in its first year, it's suppose to attain 18 inches when mature.

Years ago, I also had 'Professor Von Klippenberg' and I seldom seen blooms before severe killing frost. Maybe, my problem was I had it in overly rich soil and this seems to delay or even prevent flowering of these late types.

Debbie, I've read that 'Jenny' is a relatively early one, so I'll give it a try if I can track it down.

I NEED more late season COLOR :)

'Pink Lace' as of yesterday.

I look forward to adding some nice asters to my garden for fall color. Right now I have mainly shrubs and vines for fall color. I love the bright color of the sumac, I also grow lots of Serviceberry, Katsura trees, White birch and a number of different maples. Time to add the flowers. Oops! Almost forgot the autumn crocus. I have the large pink ones that are over now but always a sight to see. Marg

My Professor Von Klippenberg, from a few years ago. This picture was taken in 2010, and that was the last year it looked this good! I don't know why, the plant itself keeps hanging on, but it is actually a bit smaller now then it was then, and while it has lots of buds, its flowers seem to get a little later every year. I had another New York aster that was quite a bright pink, and it bloomed beautifully for a couple of years, but it has had the same fate as the Professor: I still have it, but it keeps getting smaller and the frost gets most of its blooms.

I LOVE the way they look, but I probably won't plant anymore since it appears I need to replace them regularly. I guess the same goes for Mum's...mine usually only do well for 2 years or so.

As far as fall color goes, I mainly enjoy different colors of foliage in the fall. All of my roses turn wonderful colors; rich yellows, oranges, reds and burgundy. I have grasses, daylilies which turn yellow, the dark greens of dwarf conifers, the light blue of my globe blue spruce, etc. My peonies foliage turns a nice burgundy-ish color, and I have a couple of different spirea and ninebarks which are very pretty this time of year. Almost no flowers, though!

Weeper, that's an awesome photo! Though, too bad that your 'Professor Von Klippenberg' and other asters haven't continued to put on a reliable repeat show. Do you divide and replant these on a regular basis, I've read they require suich every two to three years to keep vigorous, but I don't have much experience with this type of aster. Sounds like both you and Marg have designed your gardens with plenty of color and texture that gives interest over a long season. This year, I've decided to shake up my plantings so that there's much more remaining to enjoy long after the first killing frost, rather than just annuals and perennials that quickly melt away. I'm also getting more and more into conifers and shrubs and picked up many on sale this fall.

Marg, I've been on the hunt for a katsura after having seen a large specimen in Edmonton a number of years ago, it's a beautiful tree isn't it! I also would like to get a nice sugar maple, possibly one of the new prairie hardy selections.

twrosz - Thanks! Hmm..nope, I've never divided them. Maybe that is my trouble? It just never seemed like they got quite large enough to divide, but maybe I should try next spring anyway.

I'd love to get one of the new sugar maple varieties, too. Since I live on a fairly exposed farm though, I'm always concerned it'll suffer winter dieback, and trees are so expensive...