Gardening Gear You Didn’t Know You Needed

By Gilmour

At the start of each gardening season, we tend to lean on the same familiar tools we’ve always relied on. That trusty hose, all-purpose sprinkler and watering nozzle are the essentials for a variety of outdoor tasks. As you plan for next spring, learn about some of the lesser-known gardening tools that can save time while improving your outdoor spaces.

• Time Your Watering Right

Once you use a timer to manage your watering for you, you’ll find it hard to go back to manual shower sessions. Whether you’re going on vacation or just want to sleep in on the weekend, a Water Timer will keep your watering routine on track.

Create your own watering system by connecting a timer to your sprinkler or soaker hose. Simply choose your watering time, frequency and duration (mornings are best to prevent evaporation) and rotate the dial to Run. Your watering routine will never be the same—but your Saturday list will have one less to-do.

• Free Your Sprinkler

After a season of frequent use, you may notice that a few streams of water from your trusty sprinkler are missing. It’s likely that dirt or grass is clogging the jets. Luckily, your sprinkler has a secret tool built in.

See the cap on the end of your Adjustable Length Wind-resistant Rectangular Sprinkler? Unscrew and insert it into the clogged jet to let water flow freely. If you’re still experiencing problems, remove and rinse the sprinkler’s filter—it too could be clogged with grass, dirt or bugs.

• Cut Watering Time in Half (or fourths)

You likely have multiple areas of your yard to water, whether it’s a flowerbed on the side of the house or the vegetable garden out back. Wouldn’t it be nice to take care of all of your watering tasks at the same time?

This season, water two (or three, or four) different spots at once with a High-flow Quad Shut-off Valve. Simply connect the valve to your spigot and link up to four different hoses and accessories. You’ll be done with your watering and ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor in no time.

• Add a Specialty Hose

Reliable, multipurpose hoses like the Flexogen Super Duty Hose are ideal for a number of watering and cleaning tasks. But if you have a flower garden, your new secret watering weapon is specially built for the job.

Designed for new plantings, shrubs, bushes and raised beds, a Soaker Hose is a great complement to your everyday hose because it waters plants right at the roots, maximizing water usage while preventing diseases caused by water droplets on leaves. Water is released from flexible vinyl directly into the soil for a deeper root soak that won’t waste a drop of water.

It’s easy to set up your Soaker Hose by connecting it to your regular garden hose and snaking it throughout your desired watering area. Space your hose tracks 12–24 inches apart to make the most of your watering. Whether you are starting a new garden or tending mature shrubs, the Soaker Hose will help you water well all season long.

• Catch More Sunlight with Shears

Every gardener should have a quality pruner on hand to keep plants neat and thriving. A pruner is also essential to keep grass under trees healthy.

Trimming your tree canopies regularly will allow as much light as possible to reach grass in shadier areas. Keep blooming plants and shrubs under control with an occasional cut, and at the end of the season, snip dying limbs and buds to make the most of healthy plants. With its ergonomic design, this is a pruner you’ll be happy to have in hand anytime you need it.

• Save Time, Every Time

Save time every time you water with Quick Connectors. The unsung heroes of the garden, Quick Connectors allow you to shift from sprinkler to nozzle and back again without all the troublesome twisting.

Simply attach the female coupling to the end of your hose and the male coupling to your watering tool. Then lock the connectors together for a leak-free seal in seconds. Quick Connectors attach to sprinklers, nozzles and even your spigot. This little-known secret will become an everyday essential.

Now it’s time to take stock and stock up. With these essentials, you’ll be ready to start fresh come spring. Best. Season. Yet.