Editorial standards and disclosure

Disclosure

Draft wording, pending approval

The Meditative Gardener is produced with the assistance of synthetic intelligence (SI/AI) tools. They help with research, drafting, organization and image preparation.

Our process operates under human-in-the-loop governance. People define the editorial standards, decide what is published, and handle corrections. We do not claim that every article has been individually reviewed or fact-checked by a person, and we do not describe any article as human-reviewed unless a named person is credited for that review.

The systems, prompts and workflows we use are proprietary. We describe what they do and the safeguards around them, but not how they are built.

Attribution: content without a named person is credited to the publication's editorial team. When a named human contributes to an article or gives an editorial response, that person is credited by name on the article.

Images: AI-generated or substantially modified images are labelled next to the image. Generated images are never offered as evidence for identifying a plant species or diagnosing a plant disease.

Bylines

Articles carry the publication byline unless a named person has actually contributed. We do not invent authors, credentials, testing or editorial responses.

Sources and regional advice

Gardening advice is local. Regional plant and timing guidance should come from authoritative sources such as university Cooperative Extension services and government resources, and each article lists its sources where they are available. Seasonal guides state the region or climate they were written for. We do not treat conditions in one state or region as advice for everywhere, and we do not offer guarantees of safety or results.

Topics that need extra care

Our policy is that guidance involving pesticide use, toxic plants, identifying edible or foraged plants, and health claims must receive appropriate review before publication. Do not rely on any website, including this one, as the only basis for eating a wild plant, applying a pesticide, or making a health decision. Follow product labels and local rules, and ask a qualified local expert when in doubt.

Images

AI-generated or substantially modified images are labelled next to the image. Generated images are never offered as evidence for identifying a plant species or diagnosing a plant problem.

Reviews and testing

We will not describe a product as tested unless it was tested, and we will say who tested it. Affiliate and advertising relationships are disclosed on the affiliate and advertising page.

Corrections

If you find an error, tell us through the contact page. We correct mistakes and note significant changes on the article.