Garden hosepipe for elderly parents

[chocciecake]

Hi, my parents love their garden but their health is declining. They have a few plants in containers and a hosepipe should make it possible for them to water them more easily. Does anyone have this hosepipe, do you think that it would be suitable for someone with poor mobility? Other suggestions welcome .

My parents in law use this. Yes, very good, not a trip hazard. Folds up easily.

I've got one, and I love it.

I just bought something similar. The only thing is you turn the tap on and it expands, but once you are using it it contracts, so there's a slight pull on it. But I just stop spraying and it expands again.
I love it - I got it as needed to run the hose through the house to water the front garden. It's much better than a heavy rubber hose.

My parents have one and love it

I’ve had two of these. They are lightweight but not that robust.

you’re meant to store them indoors for winter. Anyway I just bought a Tuff hose. Seems a little heavier but better made

Yes I bought a Hozelock one of these for my 82 year old mum. It's very light and folds up small. I got her the wall storage holder for it as well.

We have two of these. Easy to control and comfortable to use.

Thanks so much for the replies

I have them, they should work well, the only thing is that you cant leave them full of water so…

water is turned off at the tap..turn it on..the hose fills up and can jump around a bit as it expands (might be a trip hazard if they arent watching it)….water the plants….turn the water off at the tap…let the residual water out of the hose, and this can be quite a bit of water and the hose shrinks back down again..

They are very light and probably ideal for someone elderly but they aren't robust. I've had 2 and both burst after a year. If you're happy to replace them then I'd go for it.

I need to get one for mum, it's mostly me that does the hosing but she will use it for pots

does letting the water out just mean leaving it hanging for a while?

also, are the fixings universal - the garden tap is ancient.

thanks in advance if anyone can help.

I've had several of those. They are great but fragile, not one has lasted a full summer. They didn't have universal fixings. I've had some from amazon and others from ebay, probably all made in same factory in China.

Thank you. I'll have a rethink.

Get the proper branded one, not a knock off.

And yes, in order to fold it back up, you have to turn the tap off and keep the trigger open to let the water out which it does as it concertinas back up again. Then fold or gather and hang it up again.

I had one in the UK which burst because my OH trod on it and bought another and brought it with me when I moved. I had a tiny courtyard and used it to water all the pots I used to have, and my OH used it to rinse the car. It doesn't work well in France as the water pressure here is so much less than the UK so it is only used to wash down our terrace.

Letting the residual water out means continuing to spray water out, but with the tap turned off. It sprays normally for a short while, then gets weaker as the hose runs out of water. It basically ejects all the water from the hose. The hose shrinks in a satisfying way as you do it. Don’t just leave it to drain.

My v frail elderly MIL has one and uses it for all her watering. Great choice. We’ve had one for several years as has she and there have been no breakages or problems. We got ours from the garden centre and all fixings were universal and fitted normally. No idea about random ones from Amazon - best check the fine print.

I like mine, I keep it in a washing up bowl in the shed when it's not in use, so very easy to store.

My tip would be to start watering at the farthest point from the tap so that you can turn off the trap when you're nearly done and use the remaining water in the hose to water the garden closest to the tap. I hope that makes sense, because they contract you'll end up with a short hose as you empty the last of the water. Saves wasting water.

I’ve had 2, one lasted 3 years, stored inside over winter. The second one lasted a year…but I think the builders did for it. Hose lock. Friend has a Tuff house that looks more robust.

i bought a big retractable hose bolted on to the side of the house, great for us. I think hoselock flexi would be better for someone who needs something lighter.

Theses hoses are great, I store mine beneath the outside tap in a large plastic plant pot - unplug it from the tap and wind the hose into the pot, use a plastic plant saucer as a lid and it will last for at least two or three summers. Re draining them at the end, either turn the tap off and empty the hose into a watering can or turn the tap off before you've finished the watering and direct the water onto the last few plants.

Get the proper branded one, not a knock off.
I've had expensive branded ones and cheap ones, they all sprung a leak. Perhaps I'm to rough with them? My neighbour had the same problem. However I like them so much I bought another. Lidl have some atm.

I had a Lidl one a few years ago, it only lasted about a year

I don’t know, they might be better just with a normal hose on a reel.

We have this.

https://amzn.to/43nAg4Z

Thank you 😊

I've had one from 2016 and it's still going strong. Gets used and abused by the kids and abandoned outside over winter. The spray gun but has been replaced though. I figured they were all much of a muchness so got the cheapest from Amazon at the time.
Got a second one for the back garden 3 years ago - it's still working fine too.

As others have said, try to ensure you get a good quality one. My elderly parent just replaced theirs with (I suspect) a cheapo version and it’s a pain in the neck. The fittings seem weak; if you turn the tap on full, the hose pops off the tap and the spray gun pops off the hose, so you have to run the tap at a trickle.