Privacy & email policy
Short version: your address is used to read a map and isn’t kept against your name. We only email you if you ask us to — and only after you confirm. You can leave anytime.
Last updated 7 September 2026.
Who we are
Find My Native Plants is a project of Gardener & Son, an indigenous-plant studio based at 2 Churchill Street, Mont Albert, Victoria 3127, Australia. You can reach us through our contact page or on 0406 059 866. Gardener & Son is the entity responsible for the personal information described here.
What we collect, and why
The address or location you search
When you enter an address, suburb, postcode, or use “my location”, we send it to a geocoding service to turn it into a map coordinate, then read government vegetation datasets at that point. This lookup is not stored against your identity. We keep de-identified, aggregate records of which areas and vegetation types are searched so we know which planting lists to build first; these cannot be traced back to you.
Your email address — only if you opt in
We collect an email address only when you actively ask for a planting list and tick the consent box. With it we store the vegetation type you asked about, the address text you searched, and a record of your consent (the wording, time and page), so that our request for permission is clear and auditable.
Double opt-in — how joining works
We use double opt-in. After you submit your email we send a single confirmation message with a verification link. You are not added to anything, and receive no further email, unless you click that link. If you don’t confirm, your pending entry is discarded. This protects you from being signed up by someone else and keeps our list to people who genuinely want it.
What we send, and how to stop it
If you confirm, we email you the indigenous planting list for your vegetation type when it’s ready, plus occasional native-planting notes from Gardener & Son. Every email we send identifies us as the sender and carries a working unsubscribe link; one click removes you, with no further messages. You can also unsubscribe by contacting us. We handle email in line with the Australian Spam Act 2003 (consent, sender identification, unsubscribe) and the Privacy Act 1988.
Who else is involved
- Geocoding: OpenStreetMap Nominatim converts your search text to coordinates.
- Vegetation data: Australian and state government mapping services (DCCEEW, DCCEEW NSW / BioNet, Queensland Herbarium, DPIRD / SLIP WA, NRE Tasmania, DEECA Victoria) are queried for the map answer.
- Email & storage: Google (Apps Script and Google Sheets) stores opt-in records and sends confirmation emails on our behalf.
We do not sell or rent your information, and we don’t share your email with third parties for their own marketing.
The Ecological Registry
De-identified, aggregated lookups may contribute to the Ecological Registry, a public record of ecological restoration. Nothing that identifies you personally is included.
Keeping and correcting your information
We keep opt-in records for as long as you remain subscribed, and remove them on unsubscribe or on request. You may ask what we hold about you, have it corrected, or have it deleted — just contact us. If you have a concern we can’t resolve, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au).
Changes
If we change this policy we’ll update the date above and, for material changes affecting subscribers, tell you by email.