Having the best garden hose makes watering large gardens a treat, especially if yours has a big lawn. Grass needs frequent watering to stay healthy, and use the hose is the easiest and quickest way to ensure your lawn doesn't dry out.
The best models we've included in this guide are powerful, easy to use, and long enough to water small and large gardens. They offer a selection of handy attachments for different types of watering, along with anti-kink technologies, and other features that make watering the garden an easier job.
Lawn need trimming as well as watering? Find the best lawn mowers in our buyer's guide.
The best garden hoses
1. Hozelock Auto Reel with 30m Hose
Best garden hose: Wall-mounted for ease of use, even in bigger gardens
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The Hozelock Auto Reel provides 30 metres worth of hosepipe with an auto-rewind function which is designed to make it easy to use in any sized garden. Here's why it's our top-rated product:
Wall mounted design
It is wall-mounted which only makes it simpler to manoeuvre this hose to the location you need it as it can pivot at a 180 degree angle when you need it to.
Easy to connect to taps
It is said to be easy to connect to your taps and the wall bracket can be removed in the winter so you can store it away. You can expect this garden hose to stand the test of time.
2. Hozelock 60m Assembled Hose Cart with 30m Hose
Best garden hose cart: ready-to-use, robust and durable
Specifications
Reasons to buy
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If you think a wall-mounted hose is a little OTT for your garden, this is slightly more modest choice. The Hozelock Hose Cart comes in a close second for anyone wanting an easy-to-use hose that will serve them well. Here's everything you need to know:
30 metre hose
It’s slightly shorter, at 30 metres, but comes fully assembled with a reel on wheels that can be easily manoeuvred around any outdoor space. You can add reach by using a longer hose to connect to the mains from the cart and the cart has '60m' in the name as it can hold a 60 metre hose – this one is supplied with 30 metres but you can choose shorter and longer options.
Protects hose from kinks and angles
It has been designed to protect the hosepipe from kinks and tangles, and despite it not having auto-rewind, you can expect this garden hose to wind up neatly so it can be stored in a shed or garage with ease.
3. Gardena Wall Mounted Hose Box
The best garden hose for small spaces: a compact and convenient hose for smaller spaces
Specifications
Reasons to buy
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Smaller gardens may benefit from this shorter, more compact garden hose. In which case, we'd recommend the Garden Wall Mounted Hose Box. Here's everything you need to know:
Complete with wall mount and fixings
It comes complete with wall mount and fixings, making it easy to get set up at home.
Adjustable length
The hose is designed to be withdrawn and locked at 50cm intervals so you can find the right length for the job without the hose kinking or tangling. This is one of the shortest hosepipes on the list, but one of the best garden hoses for small gardens!
4. GroHoze Expandable Connector Hose
Best garden hose for large outside spaces: a flexible hose for larger outdoor spaces
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The GroHoze is one of the best garden hoses for big gardens that don’t want to clutter up their outdoor space. Here's everything you need to know about it:
Comes with impressively long hose
This hose is designed to expand up to three times its original length, so although it’s only 15 metres, you’ll get nearly up to 50 metres of hosepipe if you require it.
Easy to manoeuvre
The material is flexible yet durable so you can expect it to be easy to manoeuvre and maintain, plus you get a 10 pattern spray gun so this garden hose can be used for watering the plants, the lawn, cleaning the car or washing down patio or decking.
5. Karcher HR4.525 Hose Reel and PrinoFlex Hose
Best portable garden hose: save space by either using this as a portable or wall-mounted hose
Specifications
Reasons to buy
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If you’re looking for a decent quality hose that won’t cost a small fortune, then you can expect good things from the Karcher HR4.525 Hose Reel and PrinoFlex Hose. Here's everything you need to know:
Compact and portable design
It isn’t the longest, but it is both compact and portable, with the option to mount it on the wall if you prefer.
Comes with a variety of hose connectors
It comes with three different hose connectors and a spray gun, so depending on the size of your garden you can adapt this hosepipe to suit your needs.
6. Draper 15m Soaker Hose
The best sprinkle-style garden hose: water your garden with a gentle sprinkler-style hose
Specifications
Reasons to buy
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This Draper 15m Soaker Hose is designed to be permanently set around your garden border in order to water your flower beds or lawn without the need to do it manually. Here's everything you need to know:
Keep your garden hydrated at all times
It works by placing the hose on our under your garden soil and it then allows water to seep through to the surrounding areas.
Great for those short on time
Users have found this to be one of the best garden hoses for both water and time efficiency.
What is the best garden hose?
Best places to buy garden hoses
is currently one of the most popular brands on the market, offering a variety of choices such as wall-mounted hoses, different nozzles for tackling different jobs and anti-kink pipes for ease of use. Of course, one of the main things to consider is the length you need. Most garden hoses come in at around 30 or 40 metres, with some being extra-long for much bigger land and some smaller ones if you’re limited on space. Other features you may wish to look out for are microbial protection and a retractable hose with auto-rewind to save you tripping over it all the time.
We’ve picked out a range of different garden hoses to suit your needs and budget. A decent hose is said to last between 5-10 years, so if you’re a keen gardener with a large outdoor space, it’s worth spending the extra cash for a hosepipe that won’t split after the first year. Check out our list below for some great options.
Should I use the hose to water garden plants?
The answer is: not really, unless you're using a soaker hose attachment. There are several potential problems with watering all your plants with a hose. The first is incorrect watering – that is, dousing the plants with water that then trickles down, which encourage plant roots to come up closer to the surface where they're more likely to dry out. You should always water plants at the root, letting the water fully absorb. The second problem is the potential for overwatering, if you hose all your plants constantly at the same time as the lawn. Only water your plants when the top soil has dried out and leave the hose for watering the lawn.
Looking for more garden essentials?
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- The best BBQ
