The short version
Every care article must identify its sources, separate observation from diagnosis, give a useful next check, and avoid claiming more certainty than the evidence allows.
Garden Sage is the named editor and publisher. Our current public guidance is reviewed against cited horticultural sources; it is not reviewed by a botanist, plant pathologist or medical professional unless a page explicitly says otherwise.
What we publish
We publish plant-identification guidance, symptom-led diagnostic checklists and practical care decisions that a gardener can investigate without immediately reaching for a treatment. A useful page should help someone observe the whole plant, inspect the root zone and growing conditions, record a change over time, and know when the evidence is insufficient.
How we choose sources
We prefer publicly accessible guidance from recognised horticultural organisations, university Extension programmes, government plant-health services and peer-reviewed research. We look for material that identifies the plant or problem clearly, states the conditions in which advice applies, and distinguishes symptoms from confirmed causes.
Commercial blogs, anonymous summaries and search-result snippets are not treated as primary evidence. When reliable sources differ, the article should describe the scope of the disagreement instead of silently choosing the most convenient answer.
Our article workflow
- Start with the question a gardener is actually asking. We define the plant, visible symptom or decision without creating a separate page for every wording variation.
- Retrieve the reviewed source material. Claims must be traceable to the cited source or clearly labelled as an observation prompt.
- Write conditions-first guidance. Root moisture, drainage, light, exposure, weather, plant age and recent changes usually matter more than a country label.
- Separate evidence from possibility. A symptom can support several explanations; it rarely confirms one by itself.
- Add a safe next check. The reader should know what to inspect, photograph or record before changing care.
- Review the visible page and structured data together. Dates, authorship, images and source claims must agree.
How to read our examples
An observation example is not a recorded case study
Example: older lower leaves are yellow, new growth is green, the root zone is not waterlogged and the pattern has not spread in seven days. Those observations may support normal leaf replacement more than an urgent treatment, but they do not prove a nutrient status or rule out a plant-specific problem.
We call an example illustrative unless it comes from a documented plant record with permission to publish the images, growing context, dated observations, actions and outcome. We do not invent those details to make an article sound experienced.
Corrections and updates
Material changes update the visible review date and the page’s structured data. We correct unsupported claims, broken or superseded sources, unsafe ambiguity and media that could mislead a reader. Minor spelling or layout changes do not receive a new editorial date.
To report a possible error, email hi@gardensage.co with the page URL, the statement in question and a source that helps explain the concern. We assess the evidence rather than promising a particular outcome.
Photography and illustration policy
Real diagnostic photographs are used only when Garden Sage has permission and enough context to describe what the image does—and does not—show. Generated botanical illustrations are labelled in their captions, kept separate from source evidence and used to compare observable shapes or patterns. They are never presented as a real plant record, a pathogen image or proof of a diagnosis.
Important limits
Garden Sage guidance cannot confirm toxicity, edibility, pesticide suitability or a medical or veterinary risk from a photograph. It also cannot replace a plant diagnostic laboratory, local Extension service, certified arborist or other qualified professional when a valuable plant is declining, a problem is spreading, or treatment carries meaningful risk.