IN THE GARDEN IF YOU CAN HANDLE THE DIGS, YOU CAN PLANT.

Byline: JOSHUA SISKIN

This is the best time of year to plant. Unfortunately, many people are discouraged from planting at any time because of the work involved. Actual planting, however, is hardly work at all. Rather, it is the soil preparation that often requires some sweat. Once the soil is softened to the point where planting holes can easily be dug, the real work is over.

If you have a soil that is mostly sand - such as you find in parts of Woodland Hills, North Hollywood and Toluca Lake - you may wish to plant palms and avoid the issue of soil preparation altogether. There are palms for sun and palms for shade, palms that grow to 100 feet, such as the Mexican fan palm, pygmy palms (Phoenix roebelinii) that do not exceed 10 feet in height, and all sorts of medium-size palms in between. There is even a ground cover called palm grass (Setaria palmifolia), with pleated, palmlike leaves, that spreads by seed.

In truth, sandy soil is a good soil for plants in general. The growth of a plant depends in large part on the health of its roots. When oxygen is readily available in the soil, roots grow best. Sand, which is the most oxygenated soil, is therefore highly suitable for growing plants.

Other excellent candidates for sandy soil include citrus trees, many California natives, succulents and other drought-tolerant plants of all types, and musky herbs such as rosemary, sage, lavender, thyme and marjoram.

Sometimes, soil may drain so well that constant watering is necessary in warm weather. To reduce frequency of irrigation, amend soil with water- holding materials such as compost and peat moss.

In Chatsworth and Thousand Oaks, poorly drained rocky or claylike soil is the norm. This type of soil is far more challenging than fast-draining sand. Soil improvement requires that significant amounts of compost be plowed under. You could start by spreading a three-inch layer of compost on the soil surface and working it in to a depth of six inches.

Instead of trying to amend a large area all at once, you might consider amending only where your planting holes will be and, after planting is complete, mulch rather than amend the ground in between. For instance, if you are thinking of several fruit trees in a sunny area, amend the soil in the planting holes of the trees and spread rough compost (a mixture of grass clippings, tree trimmings, fallen leaves or any other landscape leftovers) on the ground between the trees. As the compost rots, it will gradually soften the soil below.

An excellent way to take advantage of poorly drained soil is to install a water pond and surround it with bog plants.

The selection of plants that grow well in poorly drained soil includes lady fern (Athyrium), chain fern (Woodwardia), calla lily (Zantedeschia), forget-me-not (Myosotis), coreopsis and Siberian iris. A plant definitely worth trying is Gunnera, a perennial tha consists of lobed leaves up to 8 feet across! Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) is a summer-blooming plant for all types of soils and exposures. It will quickly take over areas where nothing else will grow and flowers in blue, lavender, purple or pink.

TIP OF THE WEEK: Prepare soil for a fall/winter vegetable garden now by digging up and aerating a sunny patch of ground with a shovel and a spading fork. If you have never grown vegetables before, start with a small area, no bigger than your dining room table. Most cool-season crops are grown for their roots (radish, carrot, beet), their leaves (lettuce, cabbage) or their flowers (broccoli, cauliflower). You can also plant peas at this time.