A lush green lawn: it’s the most British of garden elements. During warm weather it expands our living space for games, entertaining or just sprawling on a deckchair with a book where even curating the smallest green patch can totally transform our mindset.
But whether you’re letting your grass go wild to encourage wildlife or clipped short and neat for that under-control look, there’s one thing every living thing needs: water. In fact, a luscious, tough-wearing lawn will require a fair amount of thirst quenching. And, with another scorcher on the cards for this summer, you can save yourself hours of watering time with one nifty solution: a sprinkler.
They’re not just for grass either – you can water the whole garden with a sprinkler. Top tip: To promote good root growth, it’s actually better to water well every so often rather than to water sparingly more frequently.
These days they come as light as a feather and are easy to set up. You just choose the amount of oscillation your want – the larger your garden, the wider the spread of water you’ll need – plug in your hose and boom, you’re done. Once an area has been watered, just turn off the tap, move the sprinkler to a new spot and turn the water on again. And, contrary to what some may think, they’re powered by the water going through them, not by electricity.
Best garden sprinklers at a glance
- Best for attention to detail: Kärcher Premium Oscillating Sprinkler - £32.41, Amazon
- Best for hard-working and sturdy: Verve Oscillating Fan Sprinkler - £26, B&Q
- Best for well-priced and easy to use: Lawn Bar Sprinkler - £13.99, Amazon
- Best for a large garden: GRÜNTEK Oscillating Sprinkler with TURBO Motor - £15.89, Amazon
- Best for a fun garden toy at a sensible price: WISDOMWELL Wisdom Garden Sprinkler - £11.99, Amazon
- Best for straightforward garden sprinkler, no bells and whistles required: GH TRADE Lawn Bar Sprinkler - £17.99, Amazon
- Best for small gardens: Oscillating Sprinkler - £5, B&Q
- Best for durability and expansive outdoor spaces: Hozelock Round Sprinkler Pro 314m2 - £19.45, Amazon
- Best for features and versatility: Hozelock Rectangular Sprinkler Pro 200m2 - £41.99, Amazon
- Best for compact spaces: GARDENA AquaZoom compact - £36, Amazon
- Best for a well-priced, hardworking and sustainable: GARDENA EcoLine Oscillating Sprinkle - £24.95 Tooled Up
Garden sprinklers fall into two broad categories: rectangular oblongs that sit on the grass with a bar of nozzles that move back and forth and those on spikes that are pushed into the ground and send out a jet of water as they move either back and forth or in a complete circle.
On the whole, the rectangular ones are best for our usually rectangular gardens and the spike ones for larger areas. Yet the latter can also be useful for more targeted use, say, into corners. In all instances, most versions allow you to simply attach your garden hose to a side inlet nozzle to get going.
There’s a wide range of sprinklers out there and many manufacturers offer ones with various amounts of reach. To narrow the field, we tested those that would be suitable for the average London garden.
Oh, and one more thing: they all also double up as a fun garden attraction for kids, dogs and excitable adults on hot days.
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Kärcher Premium Oscillating Sprinkler
Best for: attention to detail
This is a workhorse of a garden sprinkler for serious watering. The metal and plastic construction feels robust and the double row of 20 water nozzles lets you know this beast means business.
It reaches a good 320m2 for taking care of a large chunk of garden at a time and you can even use this well-designed beauty on uneven or slopping ground, because some clever clog designed it with built-in spikes at the ends which you can push into soil to steady it.
The same mind may have come up with the sprinkler’s splash guard so that you can move it without getting wet. It has both an adjustable range and water flow.
Pricier than some of the others featured here, but we feel it’s worth the extra expense.
Buy now £32.41, Amazon
Verve Oscillating Fan Sprinkler
Best for: hard-working and sturdy
Set the timer on this heavy-duty garden sprinkler for anything up to two hours worth of oscillating sprinkling and then just walk away. Its mostly metal construction means it’s sturdy and has enough heft to stay put. The feet, which you can swivel to suit, have a hole in them so they’re a handy way to hang this bad boy in your shed or garage when not in use.
The sprinkler has both a flow adjuster and a sliding range adjuster, so you can choose how much water goes how far, and even if you only want it to water in one direction. It will cover up to 188m2 in one go and comes with a nozzle cleaner and water inlet filter.
Buy now £26.00, B&Q
Lawn Bar Sprinkler
Best for: well-priced and easy to use
The 16 nozzles on this easy-to-adjust oscillating sprinkler can be set to send water both sides or just one, and comes with a nozzle-cleaning tool that you’ll find screwed into one end. Rectangular sprinklers like this one often have nozzle cleaners cleverly stored like this and if you’re mindful, you’ll always pop them back in their little spot so you don’t lose it.
Although it feels lightweight and insubstantial, this water-spreader is actually extremely good at its job, sending a slow arc of water over a wide area. And, in this instance, slowness is a virtue, as it means the ground gets a really good soaking.
Buy now £13.99, Amazon
GRÜNTEK Oscillating Sprinkler with TURBO Motor
Best for: a large garden
Set this tool down and then take a seat, relax and unwind while you watch it work, watering your garden. Covering a massive 399m2 and boasting a whopping 18 nozzles, this metal and solid plastic garden sprinkler will take care of your watering with minimum effort.
It comes with a nozzle-cleaning needle device tucked into one end, should any debris get in the way, and a 60-day money-back guarantee. The wide base means it sits firmly on the ground and there’s an easy-to-adjust range ring – basically, the closer together the tabs, the narrower the oscillation.
Buy now £15.89, Amazon
WISDOMWELL Wisdom Garden Sprinkler
Best for: a fun garden toy at a sensible price
Get the watering done in no time with this well-priced 360-degree, three-armed, no-nonsense sprinkler featuring four nozzles on each arm. Its simple turning action is driven by the pressure of water running through it, so the higher the water pressure, the faster it will go. And, usefully, you can choose what angle the water comes out right up to 45 degrees (that is, straight up or any angle sideways).
The sprinkler is lightweight, made from plastic and easy to plug your hose into and get going with. Doubles as fun entertainment for the kids – or playful adults `– when the sun comes out.
Buy now £11.99, Amazon
GH TRADE Lawn Bar Sprinkler
Best for: straightforward garden sprinkler, no bells and whistles required
This is a lightweight garden sprinkler made from plastic with a metal bar and an easy-to-adjust oscillating range. Choose from full oscillation or just one spot or side, so it’s useful to plot along path edges or if you don’t want to get soaked while you lounge on the patio. At full reach it covers up to 325m2 through its 16 nozzles. The water inlet fits the average garden hose, so you can just pop it on and get watering.
Buy now £17.99, Amazon
Oscillating Sprinkler
Best for: small gardens
Go straightforward and simple with this little plastic spike of a sprinkler. Just attach your hose, push the sharp end into the soil, turn on the water and get out of the way. You can set it to shoot its surprisingly powerful rapid bursts of water in one direction or to go in a complete circle – or anything in between. When an area’s been soaked, just turn off the water, move the device and begin again. There’s nothing fancy about this little guy, but it does the job without fuss and takes the work out of it for you. And the price? Pretty brilliant.
Buy now £5.00, B&Q
Hozelock Round Sprinkler Pro 314m2
Best for: durability and expansive outdoor spaces
The solid plastic and metal construction of this sprinkler lets you know right away that you’re going to get some serious watering done. It covers an area of up to 314m2, can be set to go round in a complete circle or just a slice of one, and there’s even a choice of jet spray or mist for your more delicate plants and flowers. The long metal spike ensures there’s no danger of it falling over. Hozelock is the UK’s top-selling watering brand and with a two-year guarantee you can feel confident that this one will do the job without squawking or complaint.
Buy now £19.45, Amazon
Hozelock Rectangular Sprinkler Pro 200m2
Best for: features and versatility
The heft of this rectangular garden sprinkler means that it will stay where you put it, belting out a serious stream of water from its 20 nozzles. Don’t want to overwhelm the begonias? Set it to mist instead. There’s even a simple way to decide how many jets you want in operation at any one time, so you can customise the watering experience to suit your needs.
Its clever design means it will provide even coverage regardless of your water pressure. Pricier than many, but with a reassuring two-year guarantee it will be money well spent.
Buy now £41.99, Amazon
GARDENA AquaZoom compact
Best for: compact spaces
A clever little sprinkler that can water an area as close as 3m or as far as 18. You can also choose the width of the coverage, from three metres up to 12, sending out an even spray as it swings around, taking care of up to 214m2.
Further refine your watering by choosing whether to aim it in one direction or have it go in a complete arc. A removable filter stops debris gunking up the nozzles and the round base keeps the whole shebang steady.
Buy now £36.00, Amazon
GARDENA EcoLine Oscillating Sprinkle
Best for: a well-priced, hardworking and sustainable
Want to live as ecologically as possible? This sustainably made garden sprinkler will be a salve to your conscience. It’s made from 65 per cent recycled plastic garnered from household waste and more than 25 per cent recycled aluminium, and comes in lightweight cardboard packaging that will break down easily.
It has a simple-to-adjust reach of up to 17m, comes with a cleaning needle to keep the nozzles debris-free and a five-year warranty. It’s light, but not flimsy and will quietly get on with its job while you get on with other things – like enjoying a bit of R’n’R.
Buy now £24.95, Tooled Up
Verdict
The Kärcher Premium Oscillating Sprinkler is durable, hardworking, and has some clever design features that will reliably take care of your water sprinkling needs for years.
