Evidence first
For new guidance and material revisions, Flora & Field reopens the retained direct sources and compares guidance from botanical gardens, university extension services, public agencies and, where useful, peer-reviewed research. The sources used for a plant profile or article appear at the end of the page.
Garden advice often changes with climate, soil, cultivar and local regulation. When a recommendation cannot be universal, we state the conditions and limits instead of turning it into a blanket rule.
How recommendations are checked
We separate observation, diagnosis and action, then compare identity, numerical values and each actionable recommendation with the species, region, season and conditions described by its sources. A general rule is narrowed when those limits would change what a gardener should do.
Conflicting guidance is resolved by matching each source to the situation it actually covers. Unresolved conflicts are stated as limits or left out. Toxicity, pesticide, disease and other safety-sensitive passages use direct authoritative sources, defer to product labels and local rules, and point to qualified help where appropriate.
Editorial review and release checks
Source comparison and prose review are editorial work. Separately, release checks validate the content schema, dates, routes, metadata, duplicate passages, links, images, sitemap and rendered pages.
Those machine checks can find omissions and contradictions, but passing them is not described as an individual expert review. A Reviewed label is reserved for a documented accuracy-and-completeness review with a responsible entity; otherwise the public page shows its factual Last updated date.
Clear limits and useful illustrations
Safety, toxicity, pesticide and disease guidance is written conservatively. Product labels and local rules take precedence, and serious exposure or structural risk belongs with an appropriate professional.
Illustrations clarify plant form, comparisons and sequences; they are not substitutes for diagnostic photographs. Use several visible signs together and follow the cited references when identification affects treatment.