How we source, write and correct plant information

Sourcing standards

Botanical and horticultural facts on this site come from primary and institutional sources. We cite those sources; we don't copy their text. Where wording is quoted directly, it is attributed and kept to the minimum needed to be accurate.

The sources we accept, in order of precedence:

• Kew Plants of the World Online (POWO): accepted botanical names, authorities, synonyms and family placement.
• USDA PLANTS Database: distribution and native or introduced status in the United States.
• University cooperative extension services and botanic garden publications: growing guidance, hardiness, pests and diseases, and propagation.
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control: toxicity for cats and dogs, cited on the page for each plant.
• Peer-reviewed literature: used where the sources above conflict or are silent.

Citation, not duplication

Source material is used as evidence, not as content. Facts such as hardiness ranges, accepted names and toxicity classifications are recorded with the source that supports them and presented in our own structure and wording.

We don't reproduce source articles, and we don't present another publisher's text as ours. If a source asks us to change or remove an attribution, we act on it.

The toxicity rule

Toxicity is the highest-stakes information on the site, so it has the strictest rule: if we can't cite a source for a plant and a given animal, the page says "unknown". It never says "safe".

"Unknown" means no cited toxicity record was found. It does not mean the plant is harmless.

• Each toxicity entry covers cats and dogs separately, names the compound involved where the source gives it, and lists the reported symptoms.
• Severity wording follows the cited source and isn't embellished.
• Edibility gets the same treatment: unless a reliable source confirms a part is edible and how it must be prepared, we don't say it is edible.
• Nothing on this site is veterinary or medical advice. If you suspect poisoning, contact a veterinarian or a poison control service immediately.

AI-assistance disclosure

We use AI tools to help draft and structure prose. We disclose this plainly, because readers are entitled to know how the pages they rely on were made.

What that does and doesn't mean:

• AI is never the source of a fact. Every fact comes from a cited source gathered before drafting begins.
• Automated checks confirm that each cited page exists and supports the fact attributed to it.
• Every drafted sentence is checked automatically against the facts it relies on. Sentences that aren't supported are rewritten or removed.
• A person spot-checks samples of pages and reviews every case where sources disagree about toxicity.
• AI is not used to generate citations, references or source quotations.

Corrections

Email contact@opengrowguide.com with the page, the figure and your source. Corrections are handled before other mail. Changes are reflected in the page's "Last updated" date.

• Safety-relevant reports (toxicity, edibility, chemical use) come first. While one is being checked, the disputed statement is removed or marked as under review.
• Typo and formatting fixes are made without a note.

Updates

Guides are rechecked against their sources periodically, and safety information more often. When a source changes in a way that affects a page, that page is rechecked.

Independence from affiliate programs

Open Grow Guide may join affiliate programs run by nurseries, seed companies and garden retailers. There are no ads on this site.

No company can pay to be included, to change care advice, to alter a toxicity entry, or to be recommended. Commercial relationships are explained in the affiliate disclosure.