What to do with asters?

[ForeverAndEverCheese]

I have three large asters in my [coastal] garden that I suspect I planted as they are evenly spread through the bed. I don’t want them! They take up too much space for what they do for most of the year - my garden is only really this bed.

how and when should I remove them? I’m told friends might like them.

Forgot the pic:

Let them finish flowering ( or cut them back now if you really don’t like them!) Get a border fork and dig them up. They will split nicely into chunks. Any time in the next two months is ideal.

Perfect! Many thanks. The bees are having a whale of a time with them so I’ll leave them for now and do it later.

any suggestions of what I could add instead? The garden was empty when I moved in five years ago. It’s a rented flat but I want to make the garden lovely. I’m after a sort of cottage garden vibe, with pinks and whites predominantly.

it’s a south-facing wall on the South coast.

You've got lots of space on the trellis for clematis or honeysuckle. Hardy geraniums for lower growing. Stocks maybe or foxgloves or penstemons or salvias for height.
Or if you want to grow annuals you can have a lovely display in the summer of cosmos, poppies, marigolds dahlias and sweet peas.
Bulbs! Tulips, daffodils. Lots of lovely white or pale daffodils if you want to keep the colour theme going.