Best sprinkler

If you’ve laid new turf, put down grass seed, or added new plants or vegetables to your garden, a sprinkler makes giving them a good start easy. It provides even water coverage to the areas of your plot that need hydration and saves you time because it spritzes autonomously while you complete other tasks. There are bar and round designs to pick from, along with impact sprinklers for larger gardens. You’ll find our best picks of the different types here.

If, like me, you have a small to medium-sized lawn, this sprinkler could be the ideal choice. It’s suitable for watering a square to rectangular area from 90 to 220 metres squared and just attaches to your hose. The spray range can be adjusted from 7 to 17 metres, so you can be sure you won’t waste water where it’s not required. An internal filter keeps the dirt out and is rust-resistant for durability. It’s also removable, so you can clean it under the tap to make life easy. There’s also a cleaning needle to manage limescale build-up in the nozzles if you live in a hard water area. You needn’t worry about leaving the sprinkler out between uses because it’s resistant to UV rays as well as frost. 

Just laid a new lawn and want to give it the water it needs to establish without a big spend? This sprinkler could be right up your street. It’s a rotating design with adjustable spray direction, so you can set the water to leave it at a higher or lower angle. As for reach, it promises diameters of up to around 8 to 10 metres, but the actual coverage you can achieve will depend on your water pressure. Although it won’t be suitable to irrigate a large area, you can add extra versions to get greater coverage. But this lightweight model, made entirely from plastic, doesn’t look or feel as substantial as some of our other picks. 

Care for lawns and new planting with this bar sprinkler. It’s fully adjustable from vertical to horizontal, so you can target the water only where it’s needed and avoid adding unnecessarily to your water bill. It’s simple to set up, too. This is another one of the designs in our selection that comes with a nozzle cleaning tool, so you can avoid limescale accumulation. It is attached to the end of the sprinkler, and I think this is a great way to make sure you don’t lose it. Bear in mind that this is a design you should empty and dry before storage, and you can’t leave it out in cold weather.

If you have a large garden, I think you might want to invest in this sprinkler. It offers coverage of up to 483 square metres. This is definitely an investment buy, as you can spend considerably less on another model. However, it’s also constructed from lasting brass, bronze, and stainless steel. I like the fact that it can work in a full circle or partially from 20 to 340 degrees. Spray distance can also be set to water plots from 6 to over 12 metres. The spray pattern can also be adjusted to your preference. 

This sprinkler could be a top choice for enthusiastic growers who have a frequent need to tend new plants. The four-arm, round model offers a mist spray setting for seedlings and delicate plants or a jet spray for established plants as well as turf. I like the fact that it provides even coverage for a wide range of different water pressures. It will work for decent-sized gardens with a maximum 254-square metre coverage area and an 18-metre diameter. The sprinkler is simple to install on your hose, and the head is easy to clean.

If you have a lot to fit into your garden shed, you’ll be impressed that this neat sprinkler won’t monopolize space, thanks to its minimalist dimensions. It’s small but mighty, though, with 16 adjustable nozzles to create the desired watering pattern. The nozzle head, meanwhile, rotates a full 360 degrees for even results. This sprinkler is for small to medium gardens of up to 378 metres square with a range up to 20.4 metres and a watering width of over 16 metres. It’s lightweight at just 549 grams, but the base will sit securely in place. It’s also durable because it’s made from plastic that’s flexible but unbreakable.

Our verdict 

For even irrigation planting and lawns, a sprinkler is a must. Our favourite is the Gardena Aqua S rectangular sprinkler, which is perfect for smaller gardens. It’s a durable model that’s easy to maintain and adjustable to suit different-sized areas.

If you’re the owner of a large garden and prepared to invest, the Rain Bird 25PJDAC brass sprinkler head is worth your attention. It’s made from high-quality materials and simple to set to your requirements.

Why trust us?

At GardeningEtc, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As expert curators, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your day-to-day, from cart to doorstep. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. We deliver detailed product overviews, balancing objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is as easy as possible.

Why trust me?

As a gardener as well as a garden writer, I know that a sprinkler is what you need to give the various elements of your plot a great start and prevent them from suffering when the rain doesn’t fall. I look for easy maintenance and full adjustability to avoid waste.