Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us, and this page explains in plain language what information The Tended Garden collects when you visit, browse, or interact with this site, why we collect it, and what choices you have. We built this garden of ideas to be a place you trust, and that trust starts with being upfront about data. If anything here is unclear, reach out any time at [email protected].

Who We Are

The Tended Garden is an independent gardening publication covering vegetable gardening, flower gardening, indoor plants, garden design, plant care, and beginner gardening advice. You can learn more about our mission and the people behind the site on our About Us page. This privacy policy applies to all content and pages on thetendedgarden.com.

What Information We Collect

Information You Give Us Directly

When you use our Contact form, submit a comment, or email us about a collaboration idea, we collect the information you provide voluntarily — typically your name, email address, and the content of your message. If you reach out regarding a Collaboration opportunity, we may also keep notes related to that conversation for our records.

Technical and Analytics Data

Like most websites, we automatically collect some technical information when you visit, including your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed, referring URLs, and approximate location at a city or region level. We use this data to understand how readers use our garden design guides and plant care articles, fix technical issues, and improve the site's performance and layout.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies for essential site functions, analytics, and — where applicable — advertising. Full details on the specific cookies we use, their purpose, and how to manage or disable them are available in our dedicated Cookie Policy, which should be read alongside this page.

Why We Collect This Data (Legal Basis)

For visitors in the European Economic Area and the UK, we rely on the following legal bases under GDPR:

• Consent — for non-essential cookies, newsletter sign-ups, and optional analytics or advertising tracking.
• Legitimate interest — for basic site security, fraud prevention, and understanding aggregate readership trends.
• Contractual necessity — for responding to your direct inquiries or collaboration requests.

You can withdraw consent at any time by adjusting your cookie preferences or contacting us directly.

How We Use Your Information

We use collected data to respond to your questions, moderate and display comments, understand which topics — from side yard landscaping to indoor plant care — resonate most with readers, maintain site security, and, where relevant, display appropriately targeted advertising. We never use your personal information to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

Sharing With Third Parties

We do not sell your personal data, ever. We do work with a small number of trusted service providers who help us run the site, including hosting companies, email delivery services, analytics providers, and advertising networks. These providers only receive the data necessary to perform their function and are bound by their own privacy and security obligations. Any advertising or affiliate partnerships are disclosed transparently in our Disclosure and Affiliate Disclaimer pages, and our approach to sharing content on platforms like Pinterest is covered in the Pinterest Disclaimer.

Data Retention

We retain contact form submissions and email correspondence only as long as necessary to address your inquiry or maintain a reasonable record of past collaborations, generally no longer than a few years unless you ask us to delete it sooner. Comments left on articles are retained as part of the public discussion unless removed under our Community Guidelines. Analytics data is typically retained in aggregated or anonymized form after a limited retention window set by our analytics provider.

Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure, including secure hosting, restricted access to submitted data, and regular software updates. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, so while we work hard to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or export the personal data we hold about you, object to certain processing, or restrict how we use your information. To exercise any of these rights, simply email us at [email protected] with your request, and we will respond within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days. We may ask for reasonable verification of your identity before making changes.

Children's Privacy

The Tended Garden is intended for a general adult audience interested in gardening and plant care. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the relevant age of consent in your jurisdiction). If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can remove it promptly.

How This Policy Fits With Our Other Policies

This Privacy Policy works alongside our other site policies. For details on how we source and use images, see our Image Credits page. For the rules governing your use of this site, please review our Terms of Use, and for limitations on how our advice should be applied to your own garden, see our Disclaimer. Our editorial standards, including how we research and fact-check gardening content, are outlined in our Editorial Policy.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or the way we run the site. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date, and significant changes may be highlighted more prominently.

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please don't hesitate to reach out through our Contact page or email us directly at [email protected]. We're happy to help clarify anything.