We sell many different types of hose, size, type and use but they are all interchangeable and mostly from either Hozelock or FloPro. These are both recognised within the industry as being high quality and good value for money with Hozelock in particular having 65 years experience of serving gardeners in the UK.

There has been a recent surge in people buying online and getting cheaper products made in China, whilst they are certainly cheaper to purchase but they are often of a poorer quality and are not compatible with the uk standard fittings so getting any spares is impossible, whilst we would never tell you where to shop, this is something you should be aware of when making your decision on what to purchase.

There are different type of hose, from your traditional, to the expanding hoses and through to a soaker hose, these all come in different lengths, but commonly 25m, 30m or 50m.

Traditional hoses are now very tough and hardwearing, with many having UV and frost protection built in to ensure they are long lasting. Many also have anti kink properties to make watering easier than before

Many of these come pre-loaded on a hose reel, either for fixing to the wall or for carrying around the garden, some even with wheels. These are exactly the same hoses but just easier to handle. If you purchase a hose reel pack, it comes with all the connectors you will need, the only difference is that you will need a shorter connector hose to connect the reel itself to the tap, these can be bought separately, or you can simply cut off a short piece of the original hose supplied.

Expanding hoses are becoming more and more popular as they save on space, but are just as effective. They tend to come in shorter lengths but share many of the beneficial properties of their more traditional cousins, being light weight with anti kink built in. They do away with the need for a hose reel and are best looped onto a hose hanger that fits to the wall.

Soaker hoses, ideal for a more relaxed water approach, just simply turn the hose on and leave it for a desired length of time. These work by being in direct contact with the soil, and then allowing the water to seep through the porous construction to soak the soil immediately around the hose.

They are best placed in the desired position on the garden and then left in situ and just connected up when needed, they are perfect for use with an irrigation timer.

Irrigation Timers

Again a labour saving device, simply fit one of these to your tap and then program it to allow the water through at set times of the day or night. It works perfectly with soaker hoses for watering borders or with sprinklers for watering lawned areas. Can also be connected up with Micro Watering kits to water pots and hanging baskets.

Perfect for when you are going on holiday, just leave the tap turned on and the timer will water at the same time everyday or to whatever setting you have made.

Connectors

There are various types of connectors, from screw tap fitting, to hose joiners, but you will mostly just need two. The standard hose connector fixes to the actual hoze and then gives you a push on fitting to use with the tap fitting, hose gun or pressure washer, this allows ease of use and the ability to move the hose around to different taps or fit different attachments on the end

You can also get a Aquastop connector, this works in the same way as a standard connector but where the standard will allow the water to flow whether it has something plugged in the end or not, the Aquastop will prevent any water coming out of the hose unless it has an attachment plugged in, therefore reducing the risk of accidental soakings or other accidents. We would always recommend fitting one of these on the end of your hose and also on the end of the hose reel attachment if you use one.

The main other types of connector you may use are:

Guns and Sprinklers

There is a huge range of spray guns, sprinklers and other attachments that will fit onto your hose.

Spray guns basically vary by allowing different types of spray pattern. Ideally you want a multi function gun that has a twistable selection nozzle to allow swapping between jets, fine mists and everything in between to cover all scenarios. These are also available as spray lances, giving you a longer reach and ideal for watering hanging baskets or getting right down to the base of plants through the foliage to help target your watering, you can also get a simple spraying nozzle which would be perfect for other jobs such as cleaning your car, or your patio. 

You can also buy spray guns that have built in reservoirs to allow you to add concentrated plant feed/treatments, which mixes with the water as you spray and allows you carry out this important part of plant care without the need for heavy watering cans and numerous trips to and from the tap.

Sprinklers

Finally sprinklers, whether pulse or oscillating, round or rectangular, the answer on which one to chose very much depends on the space you need to water. If it’s a tennis court, a nice rectangular shape then the rectangular oscillating sprinkler is ideal, just choose the right size sprinkler for your garden size. If you garden is not uniform in shape then a circular watering sprinkler is a better choice, as this allows reach into corners without soaking the surrounding areas quite so much.

I hope this guide helps you understand what, when and how to water your garden and what equipment we have available to help. We haven’t touched on waterbutts or some of the more specialist watering tools available but as with all things, we are always here to help and happy to give you custom advice to suit your particular requirements.