Staff photo/Ian Gleadle
Well-known garden author and columnist Marianne Binetti will talk on “Unthirsty Plant Marriages” at the April 22nd Spring Garden Fair, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.

Day-long event jump starts garden season

Ciscoe Morris makes a surprising revelation. He “might” do the hummingbird mating dance at the Spring Garden Fair April 22, at Woodmoor Elementary.

The dance, rumored to be a slinky, sinuous, sideways shimmy, would cap off his lecture, “Goodbye Lawn — Hello Garden,” scheduled for the 2006 Spring Garden Fair at Woodmoor Elementary, Saturday, April 22, 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. “If the audience is really good, I ‘might’ do the hummingbird mating dance,” he proposes with a wide grin, adding, “I said, ‘might.’”

His offer doesn’t surprise his faithful followers. Gardeners of the Pacific Northwest and beyond know the jovial TV/radio host for his bold acts of spontaneity and endearing outbursts of joy. They know him as “Ciscoe” and when they spot him in a public place, they’ll often give him a pat on the shoulder or a hug and tell him they love his show.

But it’s a calm Monday morning when “Ciscoe” relaxes in the children’s corner at the Miller Library in Seattle. Here he discusses his upcoming Spring Garden Fair seminar. Teddy bears, stuffed bunnies, a smiling flower and shelves of children’s garden classics like “The Secret Garden” and “Plantzilla” surround him. His enthusiasm electrifies the quiet corner.

“In my seminar, I’ll talk about a lot of herbs that attract hummingbirds,” he says. “These herbs are not only fun and drought-tolerant, but they’re beautiful. And I always say there are two things you ‘gotta have’ in life — dogs and hummingbirds.”

He explains that his April 22nd seminar will cover alternative ideas to a lawn. “So many people want to get rid of their lawn and put in a garden. And there are advantages of having more garden and less lawn. For one thing, you don’t have to own a lawnmower and it saves a lot of money on watering. I’m going to recommend keeping a little bit of lawn because it makes a great pathway. There’s no better pathway than lawn because it’s soft and you can lie on it to get a tan. Also, pathways break the garden into little rooms or individual compositions. You can let your artistic energy flow creating these little gardens using tall to small plants. Plus you can have fun with rock garden plants in between stepping stones. So a lot of what I’m going to talk about is how to design it.”

Asked about his favorite drought-tolerant plants, he replies, “I’m really high on Sea Holly or Erynigum planun right now. It has unique, thistle-like blue flowers that are sharp and pointy and if you back into it while you’re weeding, it’s a very uplifting experience. I also really love Heucheras and I’m excited about the Caryopteris ‘Sunshine Blue’ too. It has golden yellow foliage and cobalt blue flowers. Oh! I must tell you! Women should always plant Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue.’ According to European folklore, it means the woman is the head of the household. I explained this to an audience at one of my talks, and the next day I noticed my wife Mary had planted a six-foot by six-foot Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue’ beside our front door.” He leans back and laughs heartily.

The Spring Garden Fair will also feature Marianne Binetti, well-known author of eight garden books, Seattle P-I columnist and HGTV host.

Binetti has a lighthearted demeanor of her own and will speak on “Unthirsty Plant Marriages,” 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Plus, she has a surprise in store, too — a slide show of different plant combinations, some highlighting the drought-tolerant gardens she discovered in her travels to Tuscany and England.

“I’ll talk on combining plants into great little happy families,” Binetti explains in a phone interview. “Using something tall, something medium and something low or putting plants together in dynamic duos.

You don’t have to just use junipers for a drought-resistant garden. You can use a purple smoke tree with silver lamb’s ear under its skirt. Or try Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo) with coral bells. Rocks with thyme also make a beautiful plant marriage. I’ll show lots of ways to create healthy drought-tolerant marriages or as I like to call it ‘couples without a drinking problem.’”

Binetti says she’ll be on hand after the seminar to sign her books for Mother’s Days gifts. Titles available for the signing include “Best Garden Plants for Washington and Oregon” and “Easy Answers for Great Gardens.”

Other Fair seminars headed by local garden “stars” include:

• “Designed for Drought-Container Gardening Made Easy,” Karen Steeb, KKS Landscape Design owner and Woodinville Water District Commissioner, 9 to 10 a.m.
• “Home Composting Made Easy,” Paul Martin, master recycler composter and educator, 9 to 10 a.m.
• “Drip Irrigation 101” EagleSong, head gardener of Willows Lodge and The Herbfarm Restaurant, 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
• “Building the Low Maintenance Native Plant Garden,” Greg Rabourn, co-manager of King County’s Native Plant Salvage Progra.m., 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
• “Organic Landscape Care,” Ladd Smith, co-owner of “In Harmony”—an organic based landscape service company in Bothell, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
• And a pruning demonstration by Tom Quigley, owner of Olympic Nursery in Woodinville, 1:40 to 2:10 p.m.

Sponsored by the Woodinville Water District, Northshore Utility District and the Saving Water Partnership, the Fair offers gardeners a jump-start on the spring season.

“The Fair provides residents with information at the beginning of the gardening season to help them develop and maintain an environmentally friendly landscape,” says Deborah Rannfeldt, public information coordinator for the Woodinville Water District. “Attendees can learn how waterwise landscaping uses less water and is healthier for our environment, pets and our families.”

Admission is free and the day-long event covers a range of garden interests, from information displays and a Perennial/Native Plant Sale to a WaterBusters ga.m.e and a make-a-terrarium activity for kids.

“My talks are not child-oriented,” Ciscoe Morris notes. “But at every talk I give, the crowd’s full of kids roaring with laughter.”

The Spring Garden Fair will be held 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Woodmoor Elementary School, 12225 NE 160th Street, Bothell. For further information, e-mail publicinfo@woodinvillewater.com.

Be good.