IF you’re lucky enough to have outdoor space, a garden hose is an essential buy.
They’re not just for watering thirsty lawns; top garden hoses can be used to fill paddling pools, keep hanging baskets and vegetable gardens blooming and clean your car, without needing to constantly return to the tap and refill a bucket.
Choosing the best garden hose can be confusing, though. Lengths and prices vary, while some come with extra attachments including nozzles for different jobs.
Though it’s tempting to buy the longest hose you can, this may make it heavy and the hose will still need storing when not in use. Remember that tap fittings are essential or you’ll need to buy them to attach the hose to a tap.
Hoses can be retractable, wall-mounted or expandable, while some come on freestanding carts that can be wheeled wherever you need them.
It’s also worth checking if the hose is frost-resistant, or if you’ll need to store it inside over winter to keep it working well by spring.
Remember to check there are no hose pipe bans in operation in your area before using, and still proceed with caution regardless, turning the water off the moment the job at hand is finished.
I tested every one of these garden hoses in my garden, watering pots, bedding plants, hanging baskets and the lawn itself.
For each one, I considered how easy it was to assemble and use, whether the attachments leaked and whether it was lightweight for practicality.
I also noted if the hose tended to kink when it was being used or when it was stored afterwards, plus whether any expandable or auto-rewinding functions worked well.
One thing’s certain: my garden’s never been greener.
Hozelock Compact Enclosed 2-in-1 Hose Reel 25m, £45 from Amazon
Pros: Can be wall mounted, easily winds back after use, very tidy, strong
Cons: A little tricky to get up and running, might be too small for larger gardens, no auto-rewind
Rating: 5/5
Let’s face it, hosepipes aren’t the most attractive feature in a garden, especially if they end up slung in a corner or wound messily over a wall bracket.
This enclosed model is about as good-looking as a garden hose can be. It comes all tucked up in a grey casing with a yellow handle to feed the hose through the front.
I did find it a little tricky to start with as all the screws and attachments are hidden inside and it takes a bit of rummaging to dig them all out and figure out how to put the whole thing together.
However, it’s a dream to use once you do. It can be easily wall-mounted with basic DIY skills but also has a quick-release function so you can take the whole thing off the wall and use it elsewhere in the garden.
There’s no auto-rewind but that means you can control the speed at which the hose retracts to avoid annoying kinks.
There are various attachments including two hose end connectors, an adjustable spray nozzle and an outdoor tap connector. All felt sturdy and none leaked at all when I used them.
A longer hose would be preferable for bigger gardens, so you’d be better off opting for the Verve Freestanding Manual Hose Cart Set (more on that below).
However, this one’s a winner to keep any medium-sized garden in order.
Length: 25m; Wall mountable: Yes; Tap connectors: Yes; Nozzle attachment: Yes
20m Garden Hose Reel, £54.99 from VonHaus
Pros: Retracts automatically, comes with a spray gun, looks tidy, swivels even when wall mounted, minimal assembly
Cons: May be too small for some gardens
Rating: 4.5/5
Keep your garden tidy with this neat retractable hose reel that does everything you’ll need it to.
It comes with fittings to attach it to the wall and I was especially impressed to see it could still pivot 180 degrees even when attached for maximum versatility. You will still need some DIY skills to drill it into the wall initially, though.
It extends up to 20 metres, which is suitable for most gardens, but the Hozelock Compact Enclosed 2-in 1-Hose Reel (above) is 5m longer if you need a bigger option.
I especially liked the auto-rewind function, which meant I didn’t need to waste time turning a handle or gathering up the hose manually.
The hose locks in place once pulled to the desired length, extending again with another pull. There’s a spring to automatically retract the hose back into the plastic housing when you’re done, which felt oh-so-satisfying once I’d finished watering.
Unlike some hoses I tested, there’s a spray gun included to vary the water flow, with a rubber handle to turn off the flow and prevent water wastage while moving between plants.
It’s a real garden game-changer.
Length: 20m; Wall mountable: Yes; Tap connectors: Yes; Nozzle attachment: Yes
Yofidra Expandable Garden Hose, £29.96 from Amazon
Pros: Doesn’t kink, comes with connectors, light to use, easy to store
Cons: Contracts a little on first use
Rating: 4/5
This well-priced garden hose looks a little different from the standard hose pipe. Rather than the usual rigid nylon exterior, it’s made from triple-layer latex with a polyester exterior so it’s soft to the touch and really light to use.
This also means it doesn’t kink at all, which is very handy for storage, although if you’d rather have a hose that could be coiled away when not in use, choose the Hozelock Compact Enclosed 2 in 1 Hose Reel.
Once the water’s flowing through it, the hose expands up to three times its original length to a maximum of 15 metres, which is oddly fascinating to watch.
I did find it shrunk a little as the water reached full pressure so it might be worth sizing up if you’re unsure if this one will be long enough for your needs — the same hose also comes in lengths of 22.5, 30 and 45 metres.
Once the water’s turned off, it shrinks back to its smallest size, though you do need to drain the water completely for this to work best. There’s a wall hook provided for storage, though it won’t tuck away completely like a traditional wall-mounted hosepipe.
It’s surprisingly robust for the price, with a decent brass tap connector and a spray attachment that can be adjusted to work in ten different ways.
I found the misting setting and the angled water jet handiest on my flowerbeds. If you don’t want a hose to take up too much space, it’s an all-round great buy.
Length: 15m; Wall mountable: Yes; Tap connectors: Yes; Nozzle attachment: Yes
Verve Freestanding Manual Hose Cart Set, £58 from B&Q
Pros: Long hose for large gardens, easy to wheel back into place after use, no need to struggle with a heavy hose, spray gun included
Cons: Needs room to be stored, can’t be wall mounted
Rating: 4/5
Anything that doesn’t need assembly gets a huge thumbs up from me.
Though this hosepipe does arrive in a huge box and you will need some space to store it, there’s little to do before use except attach it to the outdoor tap, and even I could manage that.
It’s quite heavy to lift into position initially, though this stops it tipping over when it’s in use. The handle is already attached and it winds easily, with an auto guide to stop the hose kinking when rewinding.
It also comes with a spray attachment with five different settings including one for light misting and a jet spray for cleaning patios or windows.
At 40 metres, it’s also the longest garden hose I tested and is ideal for larger gardens, or even filling a paddling pool from the kitchen tap if you don’t have one outside.
As the cart moves easily on its two wheels, it can also be moved to wherever it’s needed, such as from the back to the front of the house to wash the car.
Length: 40m; Wall mountable: No; Tap connectors: Yes; Nozzle attachment: Yes
Hozelock Superhoze 2 Garden Hose Pipe, £41.95 from Amazon
Pros: Easy to store and doesn’t take up much room, light, doesn’t kink, expands to three times its size
Cons: No attachment to wall mount, no spray gun included
Rating: 4/5
Ideal if you’re short on space, this expandable hose magically grows up to three times its original length once filled with water then shrinks back to size afterwards, meaning it only takes minimal space to store.
If you’re hoping to neatly stash it away it’s worth noting that it doesn’t come with a wall bracket, so you’ll need to supply your own or choose the Yofidra Expandable Garden Hose instead.
It’s ready to use straight from the box and includes a hose connector and fittings. These fasten really securely and didn’t leak when I watered my garden and hanging baskets.
The woven textile outer layer makes the entire hose featherlight to use and it’s simple to manoeuvre, though it’s a good idea not to stretch it too tightly once expanded as it does tend to tug backwards a little.
This one also gets bonus points for coming with a five-year guarantee if registered online, so you can rest assured that you won’t end up buying a new hose next summer.
Length: 30m; Wall mountable: No; Tap connectors: Yes; Nozzle attachment: No
Garden hoses are easy to pick up online or can be bought in garden centres, DIY shops and even supermarkets.
It’s a good idea to decide the rough length you might need before you look, then read my reviews above to choose the right hose for you from one of these recommended sites:
There’s no need to blow the budget to upgrade your garden hose. A basic model with no attachments will set you back less than a tenner, though hoses around the £20 mark are worth the investment. These tend to be sturdier, less likely to kink and come with attachments for easy use.
If you fancy a garden hose with its own cart or one protected by a durable case, you’re more likely to spend between £50 and £100, though I don’t think it’s worth spending any more than that.
