adn.com | Talk Dirt To Me : Q & A With Ciscoe Morris

Talk Dirt To Me

Do you love to make mud pies, grow a houseplant, eat veggies, or stop to smell the bouquet on your co-workers desk? Everyone enjoys a bit of green growing around him or her and then there are those that are passionate and needy when it comes to dabbling in the dirt. With this blog, we'll try to satisfy those needs and tell you about what's going on with the Anchorage gardening scene. You know, as I finally learned, it's all about the dirt.

Photographer and gardener Fran Durner (fdurner@adn.com) writes the blog.

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2008 Anchorage garden tour

Take an interactive tour of the gardens showing in Anchorage's garden tour, with photos and audio commentary from each gardener.

Q & A With Ciscoe Morris

Posted by talkdirt

Posted: May 6, 2008 - 11:24 am

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Ciscoe Morris is one of the guest speakers at this week's Master Gardener Conference, Friday and Saturday, May 9 and 10 at the Sheraton Hotel in Anchorage. Ciscoe speaks twice on Friday. Ciscoe Morris is known for his knowledge of gardening, quick wit and love of brussel sprouts! Photo courtesy Mary Morris.Q: Been to Alaska before? When, where?
A: I've only been to Juneau, Alaska, but I've been there three times. I don't recall when exactly it was, but on one of the trips I was a speaker at a garden conference.

Q: What plant have you fallen in love with this year and would it work somewhere in Alaska (Zone 2-5)?
A: This year I've already fallen in love with exactly 6,942,832 plants, but one of my favorites is Clematis integrifolia 'Durandii'. This herbaceous Clematis grows to about 4 feet tall, and features 4 inch wide indigo blue flowers from mid-May until frost. I allow it to scamper through a highly fragrant Sunsprite rose and the combination is to die for. Another favorite is Eryngium 'Blue Sapphire' (sea holly). This plant is hardy to about USDA zone 5 so it should be a possibility in some areas. It features stunningly blue flower heads surrounded by extremely sharp, sapphire blue petals. Don't back into this plant when you're weeding or it can be a very uplifting experience!

Q: What's your favorite way to wage war on slugs?
A: Although I like to give slugs beer and let them end it all happy, I'm a big fan of the new safe slug baits that contain iron phosphate as the main ingredient such as 'Sluggo', 'Worry Free' and Escargo. I find it to be more effective, and much safer than the old toxic brands that contained metaldehyde. In fact the woman selling it at the Flower and Garden Show in Seattle was actually eating it, to show how safe it is. Of course I haven't seen her since then....

Q: What's the weirdest/funniest question you've been asked as a Master Gardener?
A: I was asked by a woman how she could stop her husband from shearing all of her plants into balls and doughnuts. I told her to cut him off from brussels sprouts casseroles until he completed a pruning course.

Q: Favorite garden in the world you've visited?
A: I lead garden tours all over the world, so this is a difficult question. One of my all time favorites is Tresco Abby in the Scilly Islands in Cornwall England. We Flew over Lands End in a helicopter to get there, and the garden was filled with enormous tropical plants that you'd never expect to see in England. Another has to be Kirstenbosch in South Africa. I burst into tears when I saw hundreds of Proteas in bloom, with spectacular 'Table Mountain' in the background. If you get a chance to visit Seattle, make sure you visit the garden of the famous
artist duo Little and Lewis on Bainbridge Island in Seattle. They sold the house and garden, so this summer will be the last chance to see what has to be one of the best small gardens in the world.

Q: What book/s would you call your garden Bible/s?
A: I love 'Flora, A Gardener's Encyclopedia' by Sean Hogan; 'Perennials, the Gardener's Reference' by Susan Carter, Carrie Becker and Bob Lily; 'The Tropical Look' by Bob Riffle; 'The Gardener's Bug Book' by Cynthia Westcott; 'The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control' by Rodale Books, and about 9 gazillion others including 'The Sunset Western Garden Book'.

Q: If you could visit any place in Alaska, where would it be and why?
A: I'd like to visit Denali and see the Grizzly Bears (from a distance). I'm also excited about coming to Anchorage because I've never experienced the midnight sun!

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1 May 6, 2008 - 3:38pm | tagalak

We look forward to your arrival, Ciscoe

Ever since I heard Ciscoe is coming to town for the Master Gardener conference I've been jazzed. Hope our weather cooperates and some of our bulbs put on a display. Welcome Ciscoe..... hope you make it an annual trip to the Greatland... Kodiak Island might be another place you might like to visit to see bear (from the air is my suggestion)... Glad you're coming to inspire us after an especially long winter. Nickel LaFleur

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November 2, 2008 - 9:31pm | megal_i

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