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Stephen Orr

@steporr

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Author The Gardener’s Mindset (Clarkson Potter, May 2026). The New American Herbal. @provincetownindependent. Formerly BHG, HG, Domino, Martha Stewart

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My dear friend Susan brought me a spectacular fall tabletop garden, complete with a glass pumpkin, and I had something for Susan, too: a new book by Stephen Orr!

What I love about it is that Stephen explores how to think about gardening, not just how to do it. Through personal stories, gorgeous photography, growing advice, and projects you can try yourself, he makes room for the joy and restoration that come from digging in the dirt.

From a windy New York City rooftop to a shady Des Moines backyard and a garden on Cape Cod, Stephen shares what each place has taught him. It really is one of the most delightful books I’ve ever read, and I couldn’t wait to pass it along. 💚

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TONIGHT at the Gallery!

We’re so excited to welcome author, editor and horticulturalist Stephen Orr for an evening of conversation, gardening and a little Cape Cod inspiration.

Stephen will be reading from his new book, The Gardener’s Mindset, and sharing Lessons Learned from a Cape Garden — including his approach to a looser, more natural style of gardening that works with the landscape rather than against it.

If you love gardens, plants, design — or simply looking at the natural world a little differently — come join us.

Tonight, September 17 | 5–7 PM
David Hills Gallery | 57 Route 6A, Orleans
Free + open to all. Light refreshments. Books available!

#DavidHillsGallery #StephenOrr #TheGardenersMindset #CapeCodGardens #orleansma

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When you’re trying to capture the thrill and joy of a garden, you need words from New England icon Isabella Stewart Gardner!

We plant native plants so we can have gardens dripping in butterflies, brimming with bees, presided over by dragonflies. Absolutely RIOTOUS! It’s practically magic. Wish you were here 😘

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Garden lovers, this one’s for you.

This Thursday, we’re welcoming acclaimed author, editor and horticulturalist Stephen Orr to David Hills Gallery for an evening inspired by his new book, The Gardener’s Mindset.

Former Editor-in-Chief of Better Homes & Gardens, with garden editorial roles at Martha Stewart Living, House & Garden and Domino, Stephen will share lessons from his own Outer Cape garden and his beautifully natural approach to working with the landscape.

Thursday, Sept. 17 | 5–7pm
David Hills Gallery | Orleans
Free + light refreshments

Bring a friend and join us.

#CapeCod #CapeCodGardens #CapeCodEvents #OrleansMA #Gardening GardenDesign TheGardenersMindset

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“Gardening improves not only our physical health but our mental health as well by helping to cut down on distractions and foster focus. I want to encourage the power that comes with merely sitting and observing the sheer wonder of plants whether they are in the woods, the sand dunes, or right in your own backyard…”

🌿 Stephen Orr, The Gardener’s Mindset

When you pick up a book, do you ever find your mind wandering in the best of ways?

Sometimes a writer’s offering can push you to think:

“Yes! That is so true.”

“Yes, I need to hold on to that perspective!”

This was my constant internal dialogue while I read The Gardener’s Mindset: Connecting with Nature through Plants by Stephen Orr. It was just the sort of encouragement my gardener’s mind needed for a re-focus on the joys of gardening in our very real, gritty, and vibrantly green world.🌿

The Gardener’s Mindset: Connecting with Nature through Plants is Orr’s newest book, released earlier this year. It is a practical gardening book by virtue of it being written by a gardener with years of practical experience, but more than that it is a thoughtfully-written garden book that engages the heart of gardening, inviting us to slow down, unplug, and get out into the garden for sheer pleasure. 💚

Julie: What made you want to be a gardener, and what do you love about it?

Stephen: From my earliest memories I was fascinated by plants and would spend hours outside in the summertime looking at flowers in the neighbors’ yards (and on a few occasions picking them to my mother’s horror)…

Full author interview with Stephen Orr @steporr on JWG! 🙌💚🌿📚

#thegardenersmindset #authorinterview #gardeningbooks #bookrecommendations #gardeninglife @clarksonpotter

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Windowboxes. Of. Summer.

That’s a wrap…

I enjoyed viewing this video by @steporr sharing a fabulous variety of creative container boxes on Nantucket entitled ‘Competitive Windowboxing!’ 🌻🌱🌸#keepingupwiththejoneses #windowboxwednesday #windowbox #nantucket #thewelltraveledstilettos

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We’re so excited to welcome Stephen Orr to the gallery for an evening of books, gardens, art and conversation.

Stephen will be reading from his new book, The Gardener’s Mindset: Connecting with Nature Through Plants, and sharing ideas inspired by gardening on the Outer Cape — including how a looser, more intuitive approach can help us work with nature rather than against it.

Join us Thursday, September 17 from 5–7 pm for Lessons Learned from a Cape Garden, part of our Talk Series @ The Gallery.

Come listen, ask questions and spend an early fall evening with us.

Books will be available, and light refreshments will be served.

Location: David Hills Gallery, 57 Route 6A, Orleans

Free and open to all. We’d love to see you there.

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#deepseadisco #carnival #pflag #capecodlife #provincetown

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High and Mighty: 13 Favorite Tall Flowering Plants

Designing a garden can often feel like a puzzle as you build the layers of plants and try to time the parade of blooms. Reading “The Gardener’s Mindset,” the most recent book by @steporr, got us thinking about a piece of that puzzle that can be especially rewarding to incorporate: tall plants that tower over others.

Unlike plants that grow closer to the ground, tall specimens meet you at eye level. “With their human scale, you can almost feel the life force of the plant as you walk through a group of them, as if they were a crowd of people,” says Orr, who has a special fondness for ones with spire-shaped blossoms.

Gardeners should know that many of these statuesque plants need staking of some sort - and the base of many plants needs consideration, too.

Curious? Head to Gardenista, where Orr and other garden pros share their favorite tall plants and how they use them. Link in our bio.

✍️ Words by @laura.alice.fenton
📸 Photography credits tagged in images

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What a month it’s been! We kicked off our book tour at @arcticternbooks here in Maine before heading immediately to NYC for @goodmorningamerica - The weeks leading up to those moments were full of anticipation and oh so much planning.⠀
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From NYC we headed to Boston for our first post-publication event, hosted by @mtwyouth - an incredible organization - and moderated by @taniyanayak , who is so thoughtful and kind.⠀
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Immediately back in Maine, we hosted family for a week: 2 adults, 3 kids, and a puppy piled in to do all of the summer things. We spent so much time on the water with the kids and are now obsessed with the idea of getting a dock.⠀
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Once they departed, we jumped in the car and headed to P-town for a week with friends and an event at @eastendbooksptown - The shop is iconic, and @steporr moderated a discussion outside with the ocean at our backs.⠀
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Thank you to all of our moderators - you were all so thoughtful and made us feel right at home.⠀
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Right now we’re back in Maine, catching up on all the life things that got deprioritized, and taking it easy. BUT - we’ll be back in Boston soon for our event at @allmodern Legacy Place!⠀
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It’s been so incredible to meet so many of you along the way - to shake your hands, and hear your stories. Creating this physical book to share with you in a very digital world has been an absolute pleasure - there’s something incredible about handing someone a real, tangible thing and watching their face light up, and we haven’t gotten tired of it yet. Thank you for showing up, for reading, and your questions. This one’s been a long time in the making, and you all made it worth every minute.⠀

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What an amazing evening @eastendbooksptown with David and Stephen St. Russell @renovationhusbands in conversation with Stephen Orr @steporr !

Stephen guided the conversation with David & Stephen, giving us insight into this dynamic duo! They are a team personally and professionally, with a passion for design. They met in High School and have been a couple since that time. A truly beautiful love ❤️ story!

In 2024, they took the top prize on HGTV’s Battle on the Mountain with their beautiful mountain home design. They have also been featured on Magnolia Network’s Diary of an Old Home, and in 2022 won the Boston Preservation Achievement Award for their Victorian restoration.

Signed copies of”Good Character” and Stephen Orr’s”The Gardner’s Mindset” are available in store and online here: https://eastendbooksptown.com/book/9780593968727 and https://eastendbooksptown.com/book/9798217033690 .

#renovationhusbands #hgtvbattleonthemountain #queer #eastendbooksptown #design

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