LADYBUG: SEASON FOR GARDEN MUMS HAS EXTENDED CONSIDERABLY

To everything there is a season, and for garden mums that season is extending.

The garden mum season that used to begin shortly after Labor Day and ran through late September may now run nearly through Halloween.

Garden mums can be planted in a seemingly endless mix of colors and flower forms in anything from single beds to expansive display gardens. "Even a garden grown from a single cutting can produce more than 150 flowers," says Edward A. Higgins, chrysanthemum product manager for Yoder Brothers Inc., a U.S. mum producer.

Legend tells us that chrysanthemums originated in China centuries ago, so it comes as no surprise to learn that the Chinese to this day believe in the medicinal value of mums. In traditional Chinese medicine, chrysanthemums are supposedly used to treat headaches, fever, hepatitis, and swollen and painful eyes.

Although chrysanthemum means golden flower in Greek, garden mums are no longer just golden; they come in a multitude of eye-pleasing colors.

Of the six basic garden mum flower forms, one, the pompon, got its name centuries ago from the French because its rounded shape reminded them of the wool pompons on their soldiers' hats. The other flower forms are daisy, decorative, anemone, button and spider. Some come in a combination of flower forms such as spoon-tipped daisies or quilled decoratives.

Yoder has introduced seven new garden mums for 1995. They are bright Tracy, light yellow daisy; dreamy Tracy, creamy yellow, an early variety; fiery Barbara, early season red-bronze, small pompon; Heather, rich dark lavender decorative, early to mid-season; Sophia, two-tone pink, cushion habit and early; Stephanie, pure white daisy very early with excellent cushion habit, and zesty Barbara, also early and a coral color.

Of the more than 70 of the prophets series, most have girl's names like Anna, Barbara, Christine, Jessica, Linda, Lynn and Stephanie.

Consumers are reminded by Yoder to water potted mums every other day. They have revised their advice to consumers to "water pot mums every other day" instead of "when dry."

Mum wilting by itself reduces loss of longevity caused by the plant drying out. Every time a pot of mums wilts, you can expect to lose one to four days of flower life depending on type and variety.

In our hot, dry summer, potted plants needed watering twice each day to just keep them alive.

Planting and general care are basically the same for all garden mums. Authorities offer the following tips regardless of color, flower form or flowering time:

-- Always plant garden mums in a sunny spot (at least a half day's sun) in fertile, well-drained soil. Loosen the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches and mix in peat moss or compost to condition the soil and improve drainage.

-- Measure from the center of each plant, and space plants 15 to 20 inches apart depending on size.

-- Water thoroughly, adding one to two gallons of water to the soil around each plant. During times of sparse rainfall, continue to water as needed to prevent wilting. Keep soil moist as winter approaches.

-- Never fertilize flowering garden mums planted in the fall. All the season's growing has been done by that time and plants will not need to be fertilized again until the following spring.

-- Mulch plants after the ground begins to freeze, not before. Mulch with leaves, straw, peat moss or other organic material.

-- Spring is the time to prune away any old stems and gradually remove mulch.

Note: If the plants have grown too tall and the wind will move them in the ground where they are planted, we have often trimmed off a portion of the top foliage and placed it lightly over the plant. This will serve as a tent-like protection for the young plants and help protect them from freezes and thaws during winter. (They can be pruned 8 to 10 inches from the ground.)

A garden mum is generally tough enough to survive the winter and the next year. Like roses, winter survival is not guaranteed. With great variation in winter conditions, the more susceptible the mum is to winter kill. Severe freezing and thawing is more likely to kill a garden mum than continually frozen ground. After the second year of bloom, it is wise to divide the garden mum clump.

Time was when chrysanthemums evoked images of fall splendor. Now we see them potted the year around, but those large, beautiful plants available in the early autumn are the most irresistible.

~Mary Blue is a resident of Cape Girardeau and an avid gardener.