IT'S TIME TO CUT BRUSH, WEED, START PLANTING.

Byline: JANE GATES Gardening

SANTA CLARITA - The hillsides are turning their rich shade of green and building up material to crisp into dried brown later in the year.

If you live near open land, this is a good time to whack back some of that growth for future fire prevention. It cuts much more easily at this time of year than when it shrivels into tough fiber.

It's also a good time to get going on weeding gardens and lawns. Dandelions and other deep-rooted weeds come up more easily when they are young and the soil is moist. If you pull them small, they will not have a chance to crowd out the healthy roots of your preferred plants.

Another advantage of weeding early is that you prevent weeds from flowering and setting seed heads; therefore you stop the next generation of weeds before it starts.

If you have a compost heap, this is a good time to give it a turn. As the temperatures start warming, remaining material should break down quickly. Dig finished compost into the soil. Buy compost if you don't have enough yourself. Lots of organic matter will make the difference between a successful garden and struggling plants.

Drought-tolerant plants and California natives do well without added organics, but for everything else, compost is a must.

If you are growing azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas or gardenias, keep these plants shaded from our burning sun and add acid soil mixes for compost. Regular compost helps, but these plants are natives of woodlands where there is a deep layer of rotted leaves that creates an acid environment.

Our soil is calcareous, and every time we water with our hard water, we neutralize whatever acid is in the soil. Try using light applications of acid plant food to compensate. It is easiest if you group these plants in their own garden section where you can tend to their special needs all at once.

Gophers are really active at this time of year. There are gopher traps and baits. Be very careful of children and pets when using any of these. A poisoned gopher can be eaten by another wild creature or a pet and the poison will be passed on. If the burrowers are a major problem, call in a professional pest company. I recommend underlining gardens and new plants with 3-inch hardware cloth or chicken wire to discourage the critters. They especially like roses and will destroy even mature specimens.

Now is the time to set up fences, start tender vegetable seeds indoors and finish planning your garden for the spring. Plants are pouring into the nurseries and home stores. The spring planting frenzy is about to begin. But the end of March through early April can still offer the odd nighttime freeze in colder elevations so if you are not sure, it is safer to delay planting a week or so.

Once in the ground, plants grow faster as soil warms so the difference in size will be negligible in a month or so. If a plant is damaged by frost or stunted by cold, it will take far longer to recuperate.