Affiliate Disclaimer

The Tended Garden is a reader-supported site. When you buy something through a link on this site, we may earn a small commission — and we want you to know exactly how that works before you click anything. This page explains our affiliate relationships in plain language, so there are no surprises while you're reading about side yard makeovers, stair railing planters, or anything in between.

What Affiliate Links Actually Are

Some links on The Tended Garden — in blog posts, product mentions, and comparison lists — go to retailers or brands we're affiliated with. If you click one of those links and make a purchase, that retailer pays us a small referral fee. This is a common way independent publishers keep a site running without relying purely on ads, and it's how we're able to keep researching tools, planters, and materials to write about.

These programs may include, but aren't limited to, general garden retailers, plant nurseries, tool manufacturers, and marketplace affiliate networks. We don't run ads for products we haven't at least researched thoroughly, and where possible we favor items we've tested ourselves or seen used successfully in real gardens.

No Extra Cost to You

This is the part people worry about most, so we'll say it clearly: clicking an affiliate link and buying through it never costs you more than buying directly. The price stays the same. The commission comes out of the retailer's marketing budget, not your wallet. You're simply choosing to support this site with a purchase you were likely going to make anyway, and we're grateful when readers do.

How We Choose What to Recommend

We know it would be easy to fill a gardening site with whatever pays the highest commission. That's not how we operate, and it's worth explaining why. Our recommendations are built around what actually works in real gardens — raised beds that hold up through a wet spring, hanging planters sturdy enough for a stair railing, tools that survive more than one season.

• Relevance comes first — a product has to genuinely fit the project or plant care topic we're covering.
• We prioritize items with a track record, either through our own use or consistent, credible feedback from other gardeners.
• Price and commission rate never override usefulness. A lower-commission product will be recommended over a higher-paying one if it's simply the better fit.
• We avoid recommending anything purely because it's trending, without evidence it holds up outdoors or indoors long-term.

Our approach to research and recommendations is part of a broader commitment we describe in our Editorial Policy, which covers how articles are researched, fact-checked, and updated over time.

Where Disclosures Appear

You'll typically see a short affiliate note near the top of any post that contains affiliate links, along with contextual mentions where a specific product is discussed. Beyond individual post disclosures, this standalone page and our more general Disclosure page exist so the information is easy to find no matter where you land on the site first.

If you ever read a post and aren't sure whether a particular link is affiliated, feel free to reach out — we're happy to clarify. You can also check our broader Disclaimer for how we handle general content accuracy and liability topics separate from affiliate relationships.

What This Doesn't Change

Affiliate partnerships don't influence the substance of our advice. If a product underperforms, we say so, even if it's part of an affiliate program. Our goal is for The Tended Garden to remain a place you can trust for practical layout ideas, plant care basics, and design inspiration — not a storefront dressed up as a blog. You can read more about who's behind the site and what drives that approach on our About Us page.

Related Policies Worth Knowing

Affiliate disclosure is just one piece of how we operate transparently. For a fuller picture of how we handle data, cookies, and site use, you may want to review our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Terms of Use. If you're a brand or fellow gardener interested in working with us directly, details are on our Collaboration page.

Questions About Our Affiliate Links

If anything on this page is unclear, or you'd like to know whether a specific post contains affiliate content, reach out anytime at [email protected]. We're a small team and read every message. Transparency isn't just a legal box to check for us — it's part of building a site gardeners can actually rely on, season after season.