Affiliate disclosure.

How Earthwork earns its keep, what we recommend, and the editorial firewalls that decide what goes in a post.

The short version

Earthworkearns commission on some product links. When you click a link to Home Depot, Lowe's, Amazon, or another retailer and buy something, we get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.

We only recommend tools, plants, and materials we'd actually put in our own yards. The recommendation comes first; the affiliate link is added afterwards. If a product doesn't earn a place in the post, no link gets added, even when the affiliate program offers a higher rate.

The longer version

Editorial first.Posts are planned around search demand and reader projects, not around retailer promotions. We pick the plant, paver, or fixture that fits the project, then look up where you can buy it. Sometimes the right answer isn't available through any affiliate program at all — and the post gets written that way, with a non-affiliate link or no link at all.

Rates vary.Home Depot pays 1–8% depending on category. Amazon pays 1–10%. Lowe's, Wayfair, and niche garden retailers run their own programs at varying rates. We don't bias coverage toward higher-paying programs.

Sponsored content is labelled separately. When a brand pays us to write about their product, the post carries a clear “Sponsored” tag at the top, an explicit funding note, and the same editorial standards as an independent post. We've passed on sponsored placements when the product didn't earn the recommendation.

No paid reviews.Brands don't pay for placements inside otherwise-independent listicles. If you're reading a roundup of best fire-pit kits, every inclusion is editorial. Sponsored versions of that same roundup would be a separate, clearly-labelled post.

Programs we participate in

Earthworkis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We also participate in affiliate programs for Home Depot, Lowe's, Wayfair, Rejuvenation, and a rotating list of specialty plant nurseries.

Questions

If you've seen a post that reads as paid placement without the label, or a recommendation that doesn't seem to fit the project, write us at hello@earthwork.co. We take editorial credibility seriously and we'd rather correct a post than let it sit.