Editorial policy

Gardening advice should be right, clear and honest about where it comes from. These rules apply to every page.

Where facts come from

University extension services for care, size, light, soil, zones and timing (NC State, Colorado State, Maryland, Illinois, Oregon State, Penn State and Wisconsin).
USDA PLANTS Database for accepted botanical names and symbols.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control lists for cat and dog toxicity. We mark a plant pet-safe only when the ASPCA lists that same plant as non-toxic to both.
Government and standards sources for topics like hose threads, backflow and disclosure rules.

Each page lists its sources with links. If sources disagree, we say so or give the range. If a fact is uncertain, we leave it out.

Text is written in our own words. We never copy Wikipedia or other sites.
Drafts may be prepared with the help of AI writing tools. Every plant fact is checked against the sources listed on the page before publishing.
We do not give medical advice, and we never say a wild plant is safe to eat.
We follow product labels and never suggest using a garden chemical in a way its label does not allow.

Plant photos are real photographs in the Public Domain, under CC0, or under the Pixabay or Pexels licences. Each is checked by eye to show the right plant and listed on the credits page.
Decorative drawings are AI illustrations, labelled as such, and are never used to show what a plant looks like.

We do not accept payment to change our advice. If we ever add affiliate links or ads, we will label them clearly next to the link.

Spotted a mistake? Tell us on the contact page. We fix errors quickly and update the page date.