The Gardener's MindsetThe Gardener's Mindset

"From the former editor-in-chief of Better Homes and Gardens comes a collection of essays and photographs that examines the 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 planned: 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 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 on topics that range from how to be waterwise to cultivating plants in woodland and deer-plagued lands, to creating containers in an urban setting to struggling with less-than-ideal soil in the suburbs, The Gardener's Mindset explores our relationship to plants and nature. Orr writes about 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 soil: getting closer to nature while entering a state of creative flow where their thoughts are allowed free rein. With easy gardening projects that include informative takeaways, practical advise, and full-color photographs throughout, The Gardener's Mindset is a beautiful gift book for anyone interested in the analog pleasures of being outdoors"-- Provided by publisher.