Oh, La La!: Homegrown Stories, Helpful Tips, and Garden Wisdom

by Ciscoe Morris

The most beloved and respected gardening expert of the Pacific Northwest, Ciscoe Morris, entertains us with gardening stories and shares advice, information, and wisdom from a career that has spanned 45 years and is still going strong.

With heart and humor, Ciscoe Morris regales us with stories from the gardens he has tended, the wildlife he has encountered--deer, moles, rats, birds, and more--the dogs who have joined him on his travels, the secret lives of insects, and his endeavors as head gardener at Seattle University. Each story will make you smile but also contains a nugget of gardening wisdom or a practical, helpful tip that home gardeners will be able to put to use in their own gardens.

Genres: Gardening, Memoir, Nature, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2020

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and informative read for any gardener as Morris recounts his many adventures as a garden talk radio host, seminar giver, etc.etc. All with humor and humility. I’ve tagged many a page for referral.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few people are as fun or as funny as Cisco Morris. I laughed myself to tears. You do not have to be a gardener to love this book, but it is also chock full of useful tips about pests and plants.

[LAPL Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it might not be apparent from his off-beat, congenial stories and stretched-to-the-limit puns, Ciscoe Morris is an expert gardener, whose inordinate enthusiasm and expertise has created a loyal following. He is well known in the northwest with his weekly radio program on KSQM 91.5, and according to his website gives over 50 garden presentations a year. He and his wife also love to travel and lead worldwide garden tours, as well as embark on their own adventurous junkets, such as a 360-mile hiking trek in France. Their 1,000-mile biking trip in France became the source of his well-known comment, “Oh, la, la!” For that anecdote, you must read his book. When not doing all of this, he can be found working in his own garden in Seattle. During the pandemic lockdown, in some serendipitous way, I discovered him, and found his passion, enthusiasm and knowledge to be refreshing, uplifting and informative.

There are studies that show gardening is beneficial both mentally and physically, but for those of us who are avid and obsessive about it, we really do not care. We just love doing it. I prefer pulling weeds over indoor housekeeping. By the way, according to a former botany professor, a weed is anything you do not want in your garden. Therefore you could have a garden full of crabgrass, which I do not recommend.

Ciscoe tackles the following topics: pruning, insects, wildlife, his work at Seattle University, home gardening, “plant potpourri,” tidbits, and travel adventures. I cannot think of a better way to start 2024 than to plant something, and there is no better person than Ciscoe Morris to get you started. For what it’s worth, unless you have tasted a homegrown tomato, you do not know what you’ve been missing.

Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction

[Jonathan Schildbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ciscoe Morris is a famous gardening expert, at least in the Pacific Northwest, where his enthusiasm shines through everything he does. I was not entirely sure what to expect from this book...whether it was going to be straight-up gardening advice, or a bunch of silly stories about various gardening mishaps. What Morris delivers is very much a melding of these two 'extremes'--entertaining gardening stories from his career tending the gardens of Seattle University and his own home garden, as well as his many gardening-focused trips around the world, and his life as a gardening expert on radio and TV, all imbued with bits of gardening wisdom and pointers. In other words, if you are familiar with Morris, what you get here is true to his personality. I would have liked if there were some pictures to give a clearer idea of some of the settings and plants he was talking about from time to time, but that's nothing that can't typically be rectified with a quick Internet search. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and learned a fair number of things I didn't know I needed to know, but am glad I do now.

[PoligirlReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this is a fun one! The title of the book tells you exactly what to expect. This is not an in-depth book on gardening; it's a collection of fun anecdotes about Ciscoe's life with some good gardening advice thrown in. If you want a detailed book on PNW gardening, check out Ed Hume instead.

I'm a fan of Ciscoe Morris, and I miss his tv programs (pour one out for the defunct NWCN and his show on Kong), so this was a nice way to get a dose of Ciscoe and his assorted hijinks. One common thread throughout? This man has a complete and total inability to follow rules. He takes that mindset into his gardening/landscaping practices. He's willing to take risks and give things a try. If it works, fabulous, if not, well, let's just hope there weren't any witnesses.

Note: this is a local's book. If you don't know who he is, the book probably will seem odd, and the references may not make sense.

I'm glad to see that he's not fully retiring, and that he's already got his next book in mind. Oh, la la!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this had just been a gardening book with few if any pared down stories. Ciscoe Morris writes wonderfully about gardening, and although his humor and bright outlook on life is infectious, I really just wanted to focus on gleaning everything possible from his tremendous wealth of gardening knowledge. He writes the way that a true expert does - without pretension and with any need for embellishment because he thoroughly knows his stuff. I really miss his weekly Seattle Times column - it was always inspiring and clear. Seriously, if he writes about it, you'll want to plant it.

[Marianne Mersereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun and informative to read this collection of stories after having listened to the radio call-in show many times in which the author answered gardening questions for callers. I also did my graduate studies on the campus where Ciscoe served as head gardener, so this made the book even more meaningful. The author has a unique sense of humor that comes through in his writing along with his deep love for the plant world (and animal world too, as his pets are featured in many of the stories).

[Bonnie Westmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am such a fan of Ciscoe! I enjoyed every single page! I hope he keeps writing and I hope he comes back to the radio weekly because gardening has kept me sane for the last 6 months. I just go out, work in the dirt, pull some weeds, do a little pruning, and my stress evaporates. Ciscoe’s sense of humor in each story is a breath of fresh air and exactly what my soul needs at this time more than ever.

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think you have to know who Cisco Morris is to want to read this book. Cisco is a local gardening expert that has had a local radio show for years. I enjoyed each story, but if I hadn't already known who Cisco was I would never have read this book. Most of his stories are both informative and humorous (mostly humorous).

[Sharron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle accurately describes this book’s content as it is more anecdotal than it is informative. That said, it still offers an enjoyable way to pass a couple of cold and rainy winter hours and includes some useful tips even for even experienced gardeners.

[Leshell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, light-hearted read. Ciscoe is new to me, as I didn’t grow up in the PNW, but I know understand his appeal. He makes gardening very approachable and fun while still instilling it with his passion for advanced knowledge.

[Margo Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can you not love Ciscoe?! Some of the stories are familiar, but wonderful to hear again. Love the garden tips, and I wish I learned them years ago! His tips and love of dogs in the garden are very special!

[April Dickinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a delightful collection of stories. Ciscoe’s enthusiasm and personality shines through the pages and I am still smirking thinking about some of his shenanigans. I even learned some new helpful gardening tips!

[Sara Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very cute, with lots of chuckles and a couple of eye widening surprises with gardening shenanigans. Some really interesting advice and tales of garden experiments that worked or failed. Funny, light red.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read but not as addictive as the late Dulcy Mahar’s columns for The Oregonian. Ciscoe is a true storyteller and garden master, so this small book is more story than garden helper. And that is A-OK.

[Janine King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned some great gardening tips and always love Ciscoe's quirky humor. Reading this really made me miss his weekly column in the Seattle Times.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read—lots of great stories that made me laugh out loud and some gardening tips I look forward to trying out. And now I want to go on garden tours in foreign lands.

[kinsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of funny stories and gardening advice! The chapters are short and sweet in the best way and Ciscoe's voice and sense of humor leap off every page.

Oh, la la!

[Pamela Okano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often hilarious, this book by Seattle's own favorite gardener, Ciscoe Morris, is part gardening tips, part travelogue, part memoir. An entirely enjoyable read.

[Joie Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best stories to keep you laughing the entire way. I’ve always loved watching him on tv this book is an extended version!

[bookinglibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious stories and useful gardening tips conveyed in Ciscoe's unique style -- I'm looking forward to his next book!

[Jenifer Depolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ciscoe thank you for all the fun stories and great information that is so relevant for us gardeners who love the Pacific Northwest