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Mrs. Greenthumbs: How I Turned a Boring Yard Into a Glorious Garden and How You Can, Too
Witty, informative, and fun, Mrs. Greenthumbs proves that Cassandra Danz is to flower gardening what the Frugal Gourmet is to cooking! More like an experienced neighbor than a gardening authority, she offers advice based on hard-won experience that just can't be found in other gardening reference books. 13 line drawings.
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 5, 2019
A little while ago I talked about the virtues of hauling home oodles of books from the public library. It's a super way to explore a new hobby in a cheap and satisfying way. One of the things I'm always on the lookout for are fabulous authors whose voices speak to me. And I found just that in the books by Cassandra Danz.
Now when I first picked up Mrs. Greenthumbs Plows Ahead: Five Steps to the Drop-Dead Gorgeous Garden of Your Dreams, I glanced half heartedly at the cover. Surely this frumpy lady in an 80s style dress could teach me nothing about gardening. But oh how wrong I was! Not only did she teach me gardening know how, but she made me understand it. I couldn't believe it. All my life I've been looking for a gardening book to explain just how to make a garden in a way that I could understand. She articulated my needs and explained just exactly how to meet them. I was amazed! And I was converted.
I set about to acquire all the books that were written by this fabulous female gardener. And that's when I discovered to horribly sad news. Cassandra Danz, the person who finally made me see the gardening light, died at age 55 from breast cancer. I was crushed. How devastating that such a lively, energetic person could succumb to such a horrible disease. Damned unfair. And I'm not the only one who misses this enthusiastic personality. I was pretty bummed that just when I'd found the perfect gardener's voice to guide me through my horticultural adventure, she was snatched away.
What makes me love her books so much? Her voice. Her style of writing is quite conversational. It's a lot like a blog, really. She talks to her reader as if we're sitting together chatting over a cup of coffee. And she's funny too. Oh yes friends, she is indeed funny. We're talking Stephanie Plum funny here.
I never thought I'd ever laugh out loud at a gardening book. I thought the only kind in existence were boring, lecture type books that extolled the virtues of plants using horribly boring black and white charts. You know the ones I mean, the kind that state you "must" do it this way or else. Or else what?! I always wondered. Or else you'll come over to my house and march into my backyard and set the place on fire? I always wondered.
But Mrs. Greenthumbs changed all that. She changed my whole gardening information world. She made it ok not to have all the answers. She made it ok to make mistakes. She made it ok to go ahead and try my hand at gardening, even though I didn't know everything. All those other books put the fear into me that I had to memorize all that stuff so I would know it all and avoid mistakes. Oh the horror of mistakes!
I think the reason I didn't get serious about gardening before was because I never felt I knew enough not to make mistakes. But gosh darn folks, ya know what? Everyone makes mistakes! And we new gardeners are bound to. Mrs. Greenthumbs made me realize those things. And for that I will forever be grateful. So thank you Cassandra, for all of your words of wisdom and laugh out loud funniness that helped set me on my gardening path. Even though you've gone to the great big mulch pile in the sky, I take my sun hat off to you and will plant a fluffy flower in your honor.
Now when I first picked up Mrs. Greenthumbs Plows Ahead: Five Steps to the Drop-Dead Gorgeous Garden of Your Dreams, I glanced half heartedly at the cover. Surely this frumpy lady in an 80s style dress could teach me nothing about gardening. But oh how wrong I was! Not only did she teach me gardening know how, but she made me understand it. I couldn't believe it. All my life I've been looking for a gardening book to explain just how to make a garden in a way that I could understand. She articulated my needs and explained just exactly how to meet them. I was amazed! And I was converted.
I set about to acquire all the books that were written by this fabulous female gardener. And that's when I discovered to horribly sad news. Cassandra Danz, the person who finally made me see the gardening light, died at age 55 from breast cancer. I was crushed. How devastating that such a lively, energetic person could succumb to such a horrible disease. Damned unfair. And I'm not the only one who misses this enthusiastic personality. I was pretty bummed that just when I'd found the perfect gardener's voice to guide me through my horticultural adventure, she was snatched away.
What makes me love her books so much? Her voice. Her style of writing is quite conversational. It's a lot like a blog, really. She talks to her reader as if we're sitting together chatting over a cup of coffee. And she's funny too. Oh yes friends, she is indeed funny. We're talking Stephanie Plum funny here.
I never thought I'd ever laugh out loud at a gardening book. I thought the only kind in existence were boring, lecture type books that extolled the virtues of plants using horribly boring black and white charts. You know the ones I mean, the kind that state you "must" do it this way or else. Or else what?! I always wondered. Or else you'll come over to my house and march into my backyard and set the place on fire? I always wondered.
But Mrs. Greenthumbs changed all that. She changed my whole gardening information world. She made it ok not to have all the answers. She made it ok to make mistakes. She made it ok to go ahead and try my hand at gardening, even though I didn't know everything. All those other books put the fear into me that I had to memorize all that stuff so I would know it all and avoid mistakes. Oh the horror of mistakes!
I think the reason I didn't get serious about gardening before was because I never felt I knew enough not to make mistakes. But gosh darn folks, ya know what? Everyone makes mistakes! And we new gardeners are bound to. Mrs. Greenthumbs made me realize those things. And for that I will forever be grateful. So thank you Cassandra, for all of your words of wisdom and laugh out loud funniness that helped set me on my gardening path. Even though you've gone to the great big mulch pile in the sky, I take my sun hat off to you and will plant a fluffy flower in your honor.
March 17, 2019
People stop to gawk at my front yard. I used the simple principles outlined in this hilariously funny book. Cassandra Danz was a stand up comedian. Her humor is all throughout and laugh out loud funny. She knew garden design. We miss you, Mrs. Greenthumbs!
April 26, 2023
When I bought my house six years ago I got really excited about gardening and read a lot of books on it. A lot of what I read talked down to the reader, praised perfectionism, and made me scared to make mistakes. I found Mrs. Greenthumbs on the shelf at my library, skimmed through a few pages, and laughed so hard that I had to check it out so I wouldn't disturb the quiet.
Mrs. Greenthumbs is witty and helpful and feels like a close friend telling you about her garden, unlike some of the stuffy and unapproachable gardening authors I have read before. She praises mistakes and quickly made me realize that making mistakes in the garden is the best way to find out what works and what doesn't for your space.
As soon as I finished reading, I went online to order my own copy of anything Cassandra Danz had ever written and to see if she did public appearances, and found that she had sadly passed away in 2002. I reference her two books so often and have given them several times as gifts, and wish I could have met her and told her how much I love her books and how they've shaped me as a gardener.
I can't recommend her books enough. My love for Mrs. Greenthumbs runs deeper than the provocative depths at which she planted her daffodil bulbs.
Mrs. Greenthumbs is witty and helpful and feels like a close friend telling you about her garden, unlike some of the stuffy and unapproachable gardening authors I have read before. She praises mistakes and quickly made me realize that making mistakes in the garden is the best way to find out what works and what doesn't for your space.
As soon as I finished reading, I went online to order my own copy of anything Cassandra Danz had ever written and to see if she did public appearances, and found that she had sadly passed away in 2002. I reference her two books so often and have given them several times as gifts, and wish I could have met her and told her how much I love her books and how they've shaped me as a gardener.
I can't recommend her books enough. My love for Mrs. Greenthumbs runs deeper than the provocative depths at which she planted her daffodil bulbs.
February 5, 2020
If you had asked my younger self if I would've loved a gardening book, I would have laughed very rudely in your face. However, I recently bought a new house with an actual yard, and it is currently overrun with weeds. So, I bought a compost bin, and figured it would be nice to have an actual garden for once. While reading Tumblr, I came across some quotes from this book and thought they were pretty hilarious, so I ordered a used copy online. Imagine my surprise when this was actually the first book I managed to complete this year (I have 4 other half-read books currently awaiting my attention). The book is funny (and kind of racy...as the author says, she is a married woman), but more than that, the book is written in a conversational tone chock full of tricks, secrets, observations, and personal thoughts. It's obviously written for the beginner, but she doesn't talk down to us as if she is some know-it-all gardener and she has come to bestow us with her wisdom. No, she talks about her mistakes and how she learned from them, what happens when things don't go accordingly to plan and how to deal with that, what the proper gardening techniques are but also alternatives for people who don't have as much time, energy, strength, and/or dedication to gardening. You can feel the joy she takes in her own garden and in her own family, and it makes me very hopeful for my own attempt at gardening in the near future. I have, thus far, killed almost everything I've tried to grow (the ones who survived are the lucky ones that made it to my parents' house, as my dad has the greenest thumb of anyone I personally know). I recommend this book for anyone attempting to garden and/or just a humorous read.
July 17, 2020
A little dated, this book was a great introduction to creating your own garden and the kind of things to keep in mind as put your own together. The book is organized by month with type of activities best associated with each month (weeding, planting, paving, etc.). Readers can pick out what advice works best or is most pertinent to them and you treat it more as a handbook than as a hard and fast rules. Her advice is great and easy to follow, with a just a dash of corny humor. I would definitely recommend it to people looking for an easy introduction to the topic that can be used as needed.
September 1, 2017
Stumbled upon this 1993 book at my local library for sale for 50 cents. Best buy ever. Jam-packed with useful information written in a personable and very funny voice. Especially useful because Danz cites plants that grow in my zone and offers incredibly practical tips and advice. Sad to learn that Ms Danz only lived to publish one more book before succumbing to breast cancer.
June 10, 2020
I really loved this book -- my second reading of it. Cassandra Danz was both insightful about gardening and a genuinely funny person who did not take herself too seriously. This book includes good suggestions about garden design, particular plants, pruning, flower arranging...you name it! Now I have to hunt down a copy of her other book! So fun~
March 8, 2020
Love this book! Entertaining and informative. Will be using it as a reference book for a long time to come.
July 21, 2023
Really enjoyable gardening book! Some of the advice is outdated now (like really who double digs garden beds now?) But in general lots of good practical advice.
August 1, 2012
This is a re-read. Bought it years ago, read it, loved it, put it in storage. And just opened the box it's been living in for the past (yikes) five years.
It was even better the second time. Hilarious, thoroughly personalized approach to gardening, and just when I need it. Cassandra Danz died a few years ago--and the book is laced with humor about death and dying (mostly in the plant world, but also famous gardeners, the people who lived in her home before she did, the farm wife who planted the daylilies at the abandoned farm--the ones she swiped). Made this re-reading poignant.
It was even better the second time. Hilarious, thoroughly personalized approach to gardening, and just when I need it. Cassandra Danz died a few years ago--and the book is laced with humor about death and dying (mostly in the plant world, but also famous gardeners, the people who lived in her home before she did, the farm wife who planted the daylilies at the abandoned farm--the ones she swiped). Made this re-reading poignant.
June 1, 2009
I stumbled on Cassandra Danz and her books prior to her death in 2002. She is missed - not just by this gardener, but I'm sure by many others. Ms Danz books are chock full of gardening advice interjected with so much delicious humor I find myself laughing out loud while reading about thinning shrubs, dividing perennials and other great gardening tips. If you love gardening, do include her on your list of books to read.
May 19, 2016
A typical garden book is something I use for reference, reading only certain sections as I need them. This book however, is not only informative and educational but the bonus is that it is hilarious. Cassandra Danz is a wonderfully entertaining writer and gardener. Even if you are not into plants and gardening you will be laughing at her instructions and sarcastic humor. I feel that I even absorbed more information than I usually do reading a gardening book because of her delivery.
July 6, 2008
This is my all-time favorite, entertaining, educational and practical flower gardening book! Cassandra Danz is HILARIOUS! I believe she passed away several years ago, but what a treasure she left behind! If you are at all in pursuit of a blooming yard w/o all the fussiness of formal gardening...go for Mrs. Greenthumbs!
November 5, 2015
The late, much lamented Mrs. Greenthumbs made gardening fun. I could read her even if I didn't like to garden, but as I do, I find her advice very helpful.
July 27, 2010
Filled with good sense, good humor and good advice about gardening.
July 16, 2009
I enjoyed her humour and also learned some valuable gardening information.
March 4, 2010
Fun read, but also contains a lot of basic gardening information.
May 9, 2010
Funny, funny, funny!!
May 9, 2011
Loved it. Great sense of humour and puts you at ease to garden sensibly. That it's well-written is a bonus!
June 7, 2011
Read this many times. It's a delightful, opinionated, funny introduction to perennial gardening and it inspired me every time.
January 25, 2015
Some of her stories about how she got confused or screwed up in her garden have stuck with me for years and made me feel much better when I did too.
July 2, 2016
Very entertaining gardening book that actually has a lot of good gardening information in it. I've done enough gardening that there were not many new revelations, but it was great fun to read.
January 10, 2009
I can only aspire to Cassandraism.
April 19, 2017
very informative and funny
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews