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The Gardener's Mindset: A Gardening Book: Connecting with Nature Through Plants
From the former editor-in-chief of Better Homes and Gardens comes a collection of essays and photographs that examines the healing power of gardening and offers advice on growing plants and vegetables at home.
Remember that the road to great gardening is littered with dead plants. I’ve learned the most from what did not go as the clematis I pruned at the wrong time, the houseplants that I drowned, or the hostas I generously provided as an all-you-can-eat buffet to the local deer population.
Stephen Orr has written about gardening for most of his decades-long career, and now, in The Gardener’s Mindset, he brings his musings and advice to gardeners everywhere, no matter their skill level. With distinct lessons that range from how to be waterwise to cultivating plants in woodland and deer-plagued lands and building planters in an urban setting to nurturing plants as they grow and what to look out for when buying seeds and other necessary tools, The Gardener’s Mindset explores our relationship to plants and nature.
Orr also reflects on his own gardening journey, starting with his foliage garden in Des Moines, where he was challenged to grow plants in the dry shade around the roots of tall trees. There, he fell in love with the patterns and colors of leafy plants like lungworts and epimediums as a focal point. He remembers his first New York City apartment, where he created a container garden that included old roses, herbs, perennials, and even trees on a Chelsea rooftop eight stories above the street. And he shares how his Cape Cod garden is a work in progress but serves as his experimental lab, where he can observe and learn the ways plants want to exist in nature. Orr’s essays tap into the emotional sense of well-being that gardeners experience when digging in the getting closer to nature while entering a state of creative flow where their thoughts are allowed free rein.
With easy gardening projects, practical advice, and full-color photographs throughout, The Gardener’s Mindset is a beautiful gift book for anyone interested in the analog pleasures of being outdoors.
Remember that the road to great gardening is littered with dead plants. I’ve learned the most from what did not go as the clematis I pruned at the wrong time, the houseplants that I drowned, or the hostas I generously provided as an all-you-can-eat buffet to the local deer population.
Stephen Orr has written about gardening for most of his decades-long career, and now, in The Gardener’s Mindset, he brings his musings and advice to gardeners everywhere, no matter their skill level. With distinct lessons that range from how to be waterwise to cultivating plants in woodland and deer-plagued lands and building planters in an urban setting to nurturing plants as they grow and what to look out for when buying seeds and other necessary tools, The Gardener’s Mindset explores our relationship to plants and nature.
Orr also reflects on his own gardening journey, starting with his foliage garden in Des Moines, where he was challenged to grow plants in the dry shade around the roots of tall trees. There, he fell in love with the patterns and colors of leafy plants like lungworts and epimediums as a focal point. He remembers his first New York City apartment, where he created a container garden that included old roses, herbs, perennials, and even trees on a Chelsea rooftop eight stories above the street. And he shares how his Cape Cod garden is a work in progress but serves as his experimental lab, where he can observe and learn the ways plants want to exist in nature. Orr’s essays tap into the emotional sense of well-being that gardeners experience when digging in the getting closer to nature while entering a state of creative flow where their thoughts are allowed free rein.
With easy gardening projects, practical advice, and full-color photographs throughout, The Gardener’s Mindset is a beautiful gift book for anyone interested in the analog pleasures of being outdoors.
- GenresGardeningNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
Published May 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
# Book Review: *The Gardener's Mindset* by Stephen Orr
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I recently picked up *The Gardener's Mindset* by Stephen Orr, and it’s a genuinely refreshing take on gardening that goes beyond just tips and tricks. Orr, who previously helmed *Better Homes and Gardens*, offers a thoughtful blend of personal stories, practical advice, and beautiful photography that really captures the emotional and restorative power of gardening.
The book is part memoir, part gardening guide, and part homage to the way plants connect us to the natural world. Orr shares his own gardening journey—from his early days juggling pots on a New York City rooftop to tackling the shady backyard in Des Moines, and now experimenting with resilient plants on Cape Cod’s challenging coastal soil. Along the way, he offers insights into not only what to grow but also how to think about gardening itself. The candid acknowledgment that the path to a thriving garden is often paved with dead plants is both comforting and motivating.
What really stands out is the way Orr writes with warmth and wit, making you feel like you’re walking through his garden alongside him. His reflections are inspired by classic garden essayists, yet feel fresh and relatable for gardeners of any level. The inclusion of simple projects—like designing a color scheme or creating a wildlife habitat—adds a practical edge without overwhelming the meditative tone.
One thing I have to mention right away is how striking the cover is—it's an invitation in itself to dive into this book. I found *The Gardener’s Mindset* perfect for anyone who loves gardening. This book feels like a companion that celebrates all the joys and frustrations of this enduring hobby.
While I’m giving it four stars because I wished there were even more hands-on advice sprinkled throughout, overall this book is a lovely mix of inspiration and down-to-earth guidance. It’s well worth keeping handy for those moments when you want to reconnect with your garden and yourself.
If you’re looking for a gardening book that’s as much about mindset and connection as it is about plants, Stephen Orr’s *The Gardener’s Mindset* is a wonderful choice.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I recently picked up *The Gardener's Mindset* by Stephen Orr, and it’s a genuinely refreshing take on gardening that goes beyond just tips and tricks. Orr, who previously helmed *Better Homes and Gardens*, offers a thoughtful blend of personal stories, practical advice, and beautiful photography that really captures the emotional and restorative power of gardening.
The book is part memoir, part gardening guide, and part homage to the way plants connect us to the natural world. Orr shares his own gardening journey—from his early days juggling pots on a New York City rooftop to tackling the shady backyard in Des Moines, and now experimenting with resilient plants on Cape Cod’s challenging coastal soil. Along the way, he offers insights into not only what to grow but also how to think about gardening itself. The candid acknowledgment that the path to a thriving garden is often paved with dead plants is both comforting and motivating.
What really stands out is the way Orr writes with warmth and wit, making you feel like you’re walking through his garden alongside him. His reflections are inspired by classic garden essayists, yet feel fresh and relatable for gardeners of any level. The inclusion of simple projects—like designing a color scheme or creating a wildlife habitat—adds a practical edge without overwhelming the meditative tone.
One thing I have to mention right away is how striking the cover is—it's an invitation in itself to dive into this book. I found *The Gardener’s Mindset* perfect for anyone who loves gardening. This book feels like a companion that celebrates all the joys and frustrations of this enduring hobby.
While I’m giving it four stars because I wished there were even more hands-on advice sprinkled throughout, overall this book is a lovely mix of inspiration and down-to-earth guidance. It’s well worth keeping handy for those moments when you want to reconnect with your garden and yourself.
If you’re looking for a gardening book that’s as much about mindset and connection as it is about plants, Stephen Orr’s *The Gardener’s Mindset* is a wonderful choice.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love the premise of "The Gardener's Mindset" by gardening journalist and editor Stephen Orr. The book harkens to the canon of garden essay books of the last century—I’ve read most of the authors who are referenced. Orr begins with the idea of the garden as an experiment and ends with the garden as a reminder of both our own impermanence and potential legacy.
I appreciate his conversational, opinion-rich, judgment-free communication style. In the opening chapters I felt at times he was holding back; the writing is correct and precise in terms of plant names and practices, but Orr skimmed the surface of his feelings when talking about childhood experiences. Much like getting to know someone over time, as the chapters went on he revealed more of himself, and it was a subtle yet effectual build, like making a new friend. Each chapter becomes more personal, more fallible perhaps, and with that vulnerability Orr begins to dive to the depths of other garden memoirs. Orr has cultivated several gardens in his lifetime and visited and written about many, many more, each chapter regards one or the other, or both. No garden book is complete without photos and Orr does not disappoint; the full-color photos are perfectly lit and angled. Most chapters end with suggestions for better gardening practices.
"The Gardener's Mindset" is an ode to power of gardening to connect human intelligence to nature. Part memoir, part garden history, part gardening advice, this is a book to savor, reading a chapter or two at a sitting in the long evenings of winter when the garden sleeps or the languorous days of summer when it’s too hot to do any garden work. We gardeners can never get enough of our hobby in all its forms.
Thank you to NetGalley and ClarksonPotter for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
#netgalley #thegardenersmindset
I appreciate his conversational, opinion-rich, judgment-free communication style. In the opening chapters I felt at times he was holding back; the writing is correct and precise in terms of plant names and practices, but Orr skimmed the surface of his feelings when talking about childhood experiences. Much like getting to know someone over time, as the chapters went on he revealed more of himself, and it was a subtle yet effectual build, like making a new friend. Each chapter becomes more personal, more fallible perhaps, and with that vulnerability Orr begins to dive to the depths of other garden memoirs. Orr has cultivated several gardens in his lifetime and visited and written about many, many more, each chapter regards one or the other, or both. No garden book is complete without photos and Orr does not disappoint; the full-color photos are perfectly lit and angled. Most chapters end with suggestions for better gardening practices.
"The Gardener's Mindset" is an ode to power of gardening to connect human intelligence to nature. Part memoir, part garden history, part gardening advice, this is a book to savor, reading a chapter or two at a sitting in the long evenings of winter when the garden sleeps or the languorous days of summer when it’s too hot to do any garden work. We gardeners can never get enough of our hobby in all its forms.
Thank you to NetGalley and ClarksonPotter for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
#netgalley #thegardenersmindset
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A collection of articles or essays on Stephen Orr's gardening life past and present, this is this kind of garden book I usually eat up, but it didn't quite land for me. I'm not sure if it is the author's "voice" or the topics he chose, but I found most of the essays just okay, a few lacking in interest almost completely, and only a couple actively enjoyable. A very average read for me I'm afraid.
June 23, 2026
I loved Stephen Orr’s editor’s letters when he was at Better Homes and Gardens, so I was delighted to see he was publishing a book of garden essays. These were wonderful! I know I’ll be re-reading in winter when I need to connect to green again.
June 26, 2026
I really enjoyed this. It's part memoir, part gardening guide. Throughout the entire book are the most beautiful color photos as well. This would make a great gift for someone who loves both reading and gardening.
Big thanks to the author and publisher for the free copy.
Big thanks to the author and publisher for the free copy.
July 26, 2026
Just delightful!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews