Oh La La – It’s Ciscoe Morris!

What does a kid from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin who gardened in a sombrero do when he grows up? He becomes Ciscoe Morris.

“I was the biggest fan of The Cisco Kid. People started calling me Ciscoe and the nickname stuck “

A master gardener and certified arborist, Ciscoe seems to be everywhere: garden events, television, radio – not to mention his best-selling book, Ask Ciscoe, lining bookshelves everywhere.

Ciscoe got his start as a professional gardener at the age of 10.

“When I was a little kid I gardened with my mom and grandma. Then this church put up an ad for an assistant gardener,” explains Ciscoe. “They were looking for an adult, of course, but I kept going in saying I wanted the job. The fifth time I harassed the priest about it was the first time I ever heard a priest swear – ‘Okay you little blankety-blank, you’ve got the job but never come back in here again!’ ”

That job lasted several years and imparted a lasting impression on Ciscoe.

“I worked with this old guy and he taught me a lot. I think something happened to him in the war and he hated poison. I learned a lot of the [chemical-free gardening] techniques I use today from him.”

"All our kids have four feet," says Ciscoe of their two dogs Fred and Ruby

The Morris family consisted of five boys and two girls. Imagine five boys and all a lot like Ciscoe!

“We got into some mischief,” he admits. “My parents were fun. My dad was a hoofer in vaudeville. After vaudeville he started a dancing studio and hired these good-looking women from across the street. My mom was the best dancer of the bunch,” says Ciscoe. “The two of them became professional dancers. They were pretty well-known in the mid-West.”

His 96-year-old mother still lives in the house where he grew up. His dad lived to 92.

“Everyone in my family is a big-time storyteller. When we get together it can be wild”

His journey from Wauwatosa to Seattle is a story in itself – the short version: “I wanted to see an old army buddy and hitchhiked across the country in 1972. I’ve been here ever since.” He first worked on a fishing boat out of Blaine, Wash. and soon realized that he and boats are not a good fit. “But the job kept me here long enough to realize that the Northwest is a gardening paradise.”

Ciscoe says you can grow more plants here than anywhere else in the world. “As soon as I learned that, I said, ‘I’m staying.’ ”

Ciscoe found a summer job with Seattle City Light in Newhalem. “They had great gardens there, plus great chow. I slept in a tent up in the mountains. It was great!”

Ciscoe knew they were going to keep one person from the crew and he thought he’d be chosen. “The supervisor called me in and said right away, ‘I’m not giving you the job.’ I couldn’t believe it. But he told me it would be a dead-end and that I ought to go to horticulture school. ‘I think you’ll end up going somewhere.’ ” Ciscoe took his advice and entered the horticulture program at South Seattle Community College.

After that, he says, “I just started working like crazy. I did everything, including pruning and tree-climbing. Finally someone told me they were hiring at Seattle University.”

Seattle University had gardens made famous by the twin visions of Fujitaro Kubota (creator of Kubota Garden) and Seattle U’s Father Nichols (a.k.a. Father Greengrass) who hired Mr. Kubota to unify the school’s landscaping.

“By the time I got there the gardens had gone downhill. But I could feel this great landscape inside the mess,” says Ciscoe. With support from the university and “help from a lot of people,” Ciscoe was able to bring back Seattle U’s famed gardens.

“We did something really cool. We went without pesticides. To start the program back in 1980 I brought in thousands of beneficial insects that we released on campus. At first the administrators thought I was out of my mind but finally the Vice President said I could go with my crazy idea as long as the students agreed.”

The university soon embraced Ciscoe’s approach. “We made that campus one of the coolest and most spectacular gardens in the Northwest.” Ciscoe also utilized design tricks to take care of weeds without the need for herbicides. “No one was doing things like that back then. It was fun and challenging and they are still using environmentally-friendly practices there. It makes me proud that Seattle University is a leader in the area.” The campus was designated as the first institutional Wildlife Sanctuary by the State of Washington and has won numerous awards, including a top sustainability award from the EPA.

Seattle University is also where Ciscoe met his wife Mary. She was part of the gardening crew and, like Ciscoe, was raised in a large family (three boys and two girls).

“She’s a fun-loving adventuress,” says Ciscoe of his wife. “She’s such a good gardener. We had to divide our garden into ‘his and hers,’ otherwise we’d murder each other!” he laughs.

“We travel a lot together, including leading garden tours around the world. We also take ‘exercise’ trips, like a 360-mile hiking trip in the French Alps, and 1000-mile bicycle rides through France and New Zealand.” He adds, “If I’m too busy she’ll go by herself.”

When asked about kids, Ciscoe replies, “All our kids have four feet. We have two dogs – they have the best lives of any dog in the world! They’re both from puppy rescue. We love them – they’re just the best.”

Ciscoe’s radio and television career started almost by accident. “Radio came first. An extension agent with a call-in show hurt his back and recommended me. That first time I had to say ‘I don’t know’ so many times it became a comedy routine.” He now has his own weekly radio show on KIRO 97.3 FM.

Television is a much more interesting story, he says.

“I got a hand-written letter asking me if I wanted to try out for a new TV show. I was really excited but I’d gotten hung up at Seattle U and was running WAY late. When I walked in someone takes my name and tells me to sit down. I wait until they say ‘go home.’ They hadn’t even asked me anything. I went home and said ‘I’m bummed.’ Just then the phone rings and an assistant producer I never met say they want me on the first show. The next day I’m waiting, the producer never looks at me so I introduced myself. ‘I’m Ciscoe.’ ‘You’re not Ciscoe,’ the producer says. Then he says, ‘I guess we’ve got to do it with this yayhoo.’ Well, I did it and it was a big success.” To this day he doesn’t know who that other Ciscoe was!

“After that I ended up on another station live every Tuesday. One day I was told they were going from an hour to a half-hour and had to dump the fluff. I said, ‘Wait a minute – am I fluff?’ Even though he lost that job he was still a perennial TV guest because whenever one of the stations wanted a story on gardening, “or bugs, it could be anything… they’d ask me. One day I worked with Meeghan Black at KING TV and while the others always took the humor out of my spots Meeghan left it in. The next day the ‘big guys’ called us in -- they wanted us to do a show together. It was the perfect match. We mesh together and have a blast. We are in our 11th year.” You can watch Gardening with Ciscoe weekends on KING 5.

How does he find time with his hectic schedule to work in his own garden? “Nice thing is when you work from home you can head outside if the sun comes out. Working in the garden is therapy. It’s wonderful. I’m a total plant addict. I love diversity and unusual new plants.”

Ciscoe and Mary often open their garden for tours to help good causes. “One year we did eight of them, so I have to keep it looking great. I find time to work in the garden and walk the dogs no matter what.”

Is there anything about Ciscoe you’d be surprised to learn? “Mary and I have been together for about 30 years. THAT’S an accomplishment!” exclaims Ciscoe. “She doesn’t like cameras aimed at her, though she’s quite good-looking, but once she was on Evening Magazine with me. They asked her, ‘Is he like this all the time?’ and she answered, ‘Yes, don’t you feel sorry for me?’ I don’t know how she’s managed to stay with me, but 30 years is pretty good!”

He reflects for a moment. “I’m lucky because I love everything I do. It’s a fun life, pretty amazing,” he says. “I swear when I’m 95 I’m going to be out there still pruning the wisteria I cuss out each time I do it. I’m not going to stop gardening. I want an intriguing, challenging garden even as I grow older.”

Ciscoe also feels grateful that he doesn’t have a lot of physical problems. “Keep active so you can stay in good condition. I have an artificial hip, but that hasn’t slowed me down, though I may need help with heavy lifting. Wise gardening is long-term gardening.” He advises finding ways to protect your body. “I use tools that work for me. One trick is to wear kneepads. And don’t do just one job all day long or you’ll be in agony the next day.”

His healthy aging advice: “Eat Brussels sprouts and keep gardening – you’ll live to 150!”

For information on upcoming talks, Ciscoe’s radio and TV shows, and his best-selling book, visit Ciscoe.com. His site even includes plenty of Brussels sprouts recipes!

This article appeared in the May 2012 issue of Northwest Prime Time, the Puget Sound region’s monthly publication celebrating life after 50.