Affiliate Disclosure

by Andrea Hartley
FTC · UCPD · ASA · AGCM Marked links. Disclosed relationships. Editorial wall held.

Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated: May 2026

This page describes how Explore Your Garden uses affiliate links, which programs we participate in, how we mark affiliate links, and the editorial wall that separates affiliate relationships from editorial decisions. The disclosure is structured to comply with the United States FTC Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255), the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Directive 2005/29/EC), the UK CAP Code and the Advertising Standards Authority guidance, and the Italian AGCM regulations on commercial communication.

1. What an affiliate link is

An affiliate link is a hyperlink to a third-party retailer or service that includes a tracking identifier. If a reader clicks the link and subsequently makes a purchase or signs up, the third-party retailer pays Explore Your Garden a small commission, typically a percentage of the purchase price. The reader pays the same price they would have paid without the link.

Affiliate revenue helps fund the editorial work on this Site. It does not influence editorial decisions; the wall is described in section 5 below.

2. Programs we participate in

As of the “Last updated” date above, Explore Your Garden participates in the following affiliate programs:

  • Amazon Associates — Explore Your Garden is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (and its national equivalents in the UK, EU, and other regions), an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties. Required statement: “As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.”
  • Direct affiliate programs with seed companies where we have established editorial coverage of relevant products. Specific partners are listed in articles where their products are linked.
  • Direct affiliate programs with garden-tool brands where we have tested products and built editorial relationships. Specific partners are listed in the relevant articles.
  • Direct affiliate programs with plant nurseries and bulb suppliers in jurisdictions where we publish region-specific recommendations.

The list is reviewed annually. New programs we join are added to this page; programs we leave are removed.

3. Programs we will not join

To remove ambiguity:

  • We will not participate in affiliate programs whose underlying products we have not tested or are not within the editorial team’s competence to evaluate.
  • We will not participate in multi-level marketing schemes or any program with the structural characteristics of one.
  • We will not participate in dropshipping schemes or programs whose underlying business model relies on opacity about the source of products.
  • We will not participate in affiliate programs for products we would not personally recommend to a friend.
  • We will not participate in programs that condition commission payment on favorable coverage or specific editorial framing.

4. How we mark affiliate links

Affiliate links on Explore Your Garden are marked at three levels for clarity:

  • Inline marking. Where a link in an article is an affiliate link, it is followed by a brief inline indicator: “(affiliate link)”. This appears in the body of the article alongside the link itself, not in a footer the reader is unlikely to read.
  • HTML rel attribute. Affiliate links carry the rel="sponsored nofollow" attribute in line with search engine guidelines. Where the link is to a sponsor of a specific article rather than an affiliate, rel="sponsored" is used.
  • Article-level disclosure block. Articles containing affiliate links carry a disclosure block at the top of the article in plain language: “This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure for details.”

The combination of these three markers ensures readers are aware of affiliate relationships at the moment of decision, not just on a remote disclosure page.

5. The editorial wall

Affiliate relationships do not influence editorial coverage. Specifically:

  • Whether a product is reviewed is decided by the editorial team based on whether it is a product our readers would benefit from knowing about, not by whether an affiliate program is available.
  • Whether a review is favorable is decided by the actual performance of the product in our testing, not by the commission rate of the affiliate program.
  • Whether a link in an article is an affiliate link is decided after the editorial decision to recommend or describe a product, not before.
  • Affiliate networks have no review or approval rights over editorial content. They do not see articles before publication. They cannot request changes after publication.

If we recommend a product whose retailer does not offer an affiliate program, we still recommend it. The commission is incidental to the recommendation, not the cause of it.

6. Honest reviews and free product samples

From time to time, manufacturers or retailers provide products to us for review at no cost. When this happens:

  • The fact that the product was provided is disclosed at the top of the review article.
  • The provision of a sample does not entitle the provider to a favorable review, an editorial preview, or any influence over the verdict.
  • If the product fails our testing, we say so. We have done so. We will continue to do so.
  • The full framework for product samples is described in our Product Review Policy.

7. What “qualifying purchase” actually means

Affiliate commissions are paid by the third-party retailer based on a “qualifying purchase” — typically a purchase made within a defined window (often 24 hours for Amazon’s standard program) after a reader clicks the affiliate link. Different programs have different windows and different commission structures. None of this is paid by the reader.

If you do not click the affiliate link, we earn nothing from your purchase. Whether you do or do not is your choice; we explain how the system works so you can make an informed one.

8. International readers

Where we operate Amazon Associates accounts in multiple regions (US, UK, EU), we attempt to use geo-aware affiliate links so that readers are directed to the Amazon storefront serving their region. This avoids the situation where a reader in the UK clicks a US Amazon link and pays international shipping. The regional attribution is implementation-dependent; if you find a link that does not behave correctly for your region, please email info [at] exploreyourgarden [punto] site and we will fix it.

9. Updates and review

This disclosure is reviewed at least annually and revised when the affiliate-program landscape changes. The “Last updated” date reflects the most recent revision. We will not retroactively add or remove disclosure markers from individual articles; corrections to disclosure are made forward-going.

10. Contact

For questions about a specific affiliate relationship, an article disclosure, or to request information about commissions associated with a particular review, please email info [at] exploreyourgarden [punto] site.

Related pages: Product Review Policy · Editorial Standards · How We Test · Disclaimer · Work with Us