Tips For Gardeners

It's that time of year when green thumbs get itchy to start digging into the soil. For those seeking a bit of advice or inspiration, several lectures and classes are being offered.

Gardeners who envision the beautiful flower beds displayed in magazines transplanted to their gardens, but who don't know how to start, can gain some pointers at a Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons lecture Saturday morning.

George Biercuk and Jean Coakly, garden designers who are Horticultural Alliance board members, will offer help to beginning gardeners at "Planning a Garden/Renovating an Old Garden." How to match the right plant with the right garden location will be emphasized at the talk, which will be held at the Horticultural Li brary on the ground floor of the Bridge hampton Community House beginning at 10 a.m. A fee of $5 will be charged.

Designing Gardens

The British garden designer David Stevens will teach a five-day garden de sign course in Robert Dash's Sag a ponack studio, on the grounds of his gar den, Madoo, from April 7 through 11.

Mr. Stevens is the author of many garden design books and appears on gardening programs on British television. He is the winner of 11 gold medals and three Best in Show awards at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. His 18th book, "International Roof Gardens," will soon be released by Rizzoli.

The course will open with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on April 6 and thereafter classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The course includes guest lectures and garden visits.

The class is limited to 50 students and costs $925. For a course syllabus and application, those interested can write to Chelsea Management, P.O. Box 2879, Southampton 11969.

Daylong Institute

Registration is being taken for an April 17 Spring Gardening School sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension and Suffolk Community College. It will take place at the Riverhead campus of the college.

The daylong institute will feature four sessions, exhibits, a plant sale by the Suffolk County Master Gardener Society, and an opportunity to have soil tested.

Classes, which include sessions on garden design, herbs, perennials, or na mental grasses, and gardening with children, will be taught by master gardeners.