These are the rules for anyone writing for Ezina: articles, guides, plant pages and in-app copy. They apply to contributing writers and to everything I write myself.
The short version: answer the question, tell the reader what to do, and never make anything up.
Who is talking
Write as a fellow gardener who did the homework. Stand next to the reader, not above them. Your authority comes from having grown it, lost it and looked it up.
First person is welcome, but only for things you actually did. If it happened in your garden, say so. If you read it, cite it.
Instead of "Novice gardeners frequently select crops ill-suited to their conditions."
Write "My first year, I planted everything I liked eating. Half of it hated my yard."
Answer first
Readers expect sites to bury the answer, so give it to them in the first two or three sentences. Everything after that is the detail for people who want it.
- The title is the question, in the words people search with.
- The opening answers it directly, in two or three sentences.
- The body explains why, and what to do in different situations.
- A short FAQ at the end covers the follow-up questions.
If the reader arrived worried (yellow leaves, a sick pet, a dying tomato), calm them before you explain the cause. Reassure first, explain second.
End on the last useful point. No "In summary," no recap of what you just said.
Tell people what to do
Give instructions, not descriptions of a situation. A reader with a problem wants the next step.
Instead of "Overwatering is a situation that leads to root problems."
Write "Push a finger two inches into the soil. If it's damp, skip watering today."
Name the condition, don't hedge
Ezina covers the United States, so gardening advice depends on where the reader lives. Handle that by naming the condition, not by softening the claim with "often," "may" or "typically."
Instead of "You may want to plant tomatoes in spring."
Write "Plant tomatoes outside two weeks after your last frost date, once nights stay above 50°F."
Use hardiness zones, frost dates and temperatures. Keep a hedge only when the uncertainty is real, and then say what it depends on.
Every section stands alone
Don't write "as mentioned above" or "the signs listed earlier." Restate the detail. Readers skim, and search engines and AI assistants quote single passages out of context. Each section should make sense if it's the only one someone reads.
Plain words, understated
Use the small word. Say "two very different things," not "vastly different." Prefer something the reader can picture over the machinery behind it, and save the mechanism for the paragraph that needs it.
Fragments are fine. "Worst in shade." can stand on its own. Vary sentence length so the rhythm doesn't flatten.
Honesty and sources
Transparency is one of the pillars of Ezina, and the writing has to hold to it.
- Never invent an anecdote, a number, a species or a quote to make a piece flow.
- Cite factual claims, preferring university extension services, botanical gardens and peer-reviewed research.
- Open the source and find the sentence. A summary of a source is not the source.
- If you can't verify it, leave it out. A thinner piece that's true beats a vivid one that isn't.
Formatting
- Bold the one or two lines a skimming reader can't miss, and nothing else.
- Use italics for asides.
- Use a list only for things that are actually a list, like steps or symptoms.
- Don't start every list item with a bold label followed by a colon.
Habits to cut
These are patterns that make writing sound generic or machine-made. None is banned outright; the problem is reaching for them by reflex.
Dashes and setups
- Em dashes for ordinary asides. Use commas, parentheses or a new sentence.
- "It's not X, it's Y" and "Not X. Not Y. Just Z." Say the thing directly.
- Openers like "Let's dive in," "Here's the thing" and "It's worth noting." Start with the content.
- "Unlike most..." as a way to open a sentence, unless you're telling two things apart.
- "Easy to confuse with..." Describe the difference instead: "Downy mildew looks similar but grows on the underside of the leaf, not the top."
Words
- "Serves as," "represents" and "stands as" when "is" works. "Powdery mildew is a warning."
- Delve, tapestry, landscape, pivotal, vibrant, showcase, underscore, embark, robust, nestled, profound, transformative.
- "Thrives" and "flourishes." Say what the plant needs: "does well in full sun."
- Tails like "...contributing to," "...fostering" and "...highlighting." End the sentence and start a new one.
- Big claims like "revolutionizes" or "dramatically transforms," unless they're literally true.
Structure
- Three-part lists stacked one after another. One is fine when the items are distinct.
- Made-up labels capitalized like real terms, such as "the Watering Trap."
- Endings like "In summary," "Moving forward" and "Ultimately."
Changes
4 Nov 2026: First published.
Contact
Questions about these guidelines, or interested in writing for Ezina? Email [email protected].