The cookies we use, in plain English.

What cookies are.

A cookie is a small text file that a website stores on your phone, tablet or computer when you visit. Cookies let sites remember things between page loads — for example, what you have in your basket, whether you are logged in, or which preferences you set on a previous visit.

Some cookies are set by us directly (first-party cookies), and some are set by services we use to run the site (third-party cookies). We only set what we need to, and you have full control over what you accept.

This policy sits alongside our Privacy Policy — read both together for the full picture of how we handle your data.

How we use cookies.

We group the cookies on our site into three categories. The first runs without asking; the other two only after you opt in.

Strictly necessary

These cookies are required for the site to function. Without them, your basket would empty between pages, you could not log in, and checkout would not work. They do not track you across other websites and they cannot be turned off.

• Session & basket cookies — set by WordPress and WooCommerce to remember your basket contents, recently-viewed products, and login session.
• Security cookies — used by checkout and account forms to prevent CSRF and bot abuse.
• Cache cookies — set by our hosting layer (LiteSpeed) to serve the right cached version of a page (logged-in vs logged-out, etc.).
• Sign-in cookies — set briefly during the Google & password sign-in flow to keep your session secure (an OAuth state token that protects you from cross-site request forgery). Cleared as soon as you finish signing in.

Analytics & performance

These cookies tell us, in aggregate, how visitors find and use the site — which pages are popular, where people drop off, how fast pages load. We use this to make the site better. They are only set if you accept them.

• Google Analytics 4 — anonymous usage data: pages visited, time on page, device type, country.
• Google Tag Manager — the container we use to load Analytics, Ads and Meta tags only when consent has been given.

Advertising & marketing

These cookies measure the effectiveness of our advertising and let us show relevant ads to people who have visited our site before. They are only set if you accept them, and you can withdraw consent at any time.

• Google Ads — measures conversions from our paid Google campaigns and supports remarketing.
• Meta Pixel (Facebook / Instagram) — measures conversions from our Meta campaigns and supports remarketing.

Third-party cookies.

When you accept analytics or advertising cookies, the following providers may set cookies on your device. Each links to that provider's own privacy and cookie information so you can read what they collect and how they use it.

We do not control these third-party cookies and we cannot read them ourselves. To opt out, use the cookie controls described below or visit each provider directly.

How long cookies last.

Cookies are either short-lived (cleared when you close the browser) or persistent (stored for a set period). The cookies on our site fall into the following bands:

• Session cookies — cleared the moment you close the browser tab. Used for basket, login session, security tokens.
• Up to 30 days — preferences (recently-viewed products, cookie consent choice itself).
• Up to 13 months — Google Analytics & Meta Pixel persistent identifiers (the regulator-recommended cap for analytics & advertising cookies).

How to manage cookies.

You are in control. There are three ways to change what we set:

• The cookie banner. When you first visit the site, you can choose which categories to accept. You can change your choice any time by clearing our cookies for the site (see your browser settings).
• Your browser. Every modern browser lets you block, delete or restrict cookies. Look for cookie or privacy settings in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, or your mobile equivalent.
• Provider-specific opt-outs. Google Ads has its own controls at adssettings.google.com; Meta's ad preferences sit inside your Facebook account.

Your consent.

Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and UK GDPR, we ask for your consent before setting any non-essential cookie. Strictly-necessary cookies are exempt because the law allows them where they are required for a service you have asked for (a working basket, an active login).

Your consent is freely given, specific, informed, and as easy to withdraw as it is to give. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of any data we processed beforehand.

Changes to this policy.

We may update this cookie policy from time to time — for example, when we add a new tool or remove one. The most current version will always be available at thegardenhub.co.uk/cookies. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated.

Have a question about a specific cookie or want a copy of the data we hold? Email info@thegardenhub.co.uk and we will respond within one working day.