Sunset’s guide to The Best Hoses to Quench Your Garden’s Thirst All Year Long – and won’t leave you hosed!

Sure, it’s more fun to shop for plants, but garden hoses are a requirement for keeping most things alive. Here are Sunset magazine’s five top picks for every need—plus accessories!—and some care tips at the end.

Best Overall: Flexzilla Garden Lead-In Hose

It’s flexible yet durable, kink resistant and virtually leak-proof—no wonder it has more than 4,000 five-star reviews. It even stays flexible in cold weather.

Flexzilla Garden Lead-in Hose, $32

Best Hose for Longevity

A persistent complaint among owners of expandable hoses is that they spring leaks too easily. The TBI Pro is flexible yet sturdy, so leaks aren’t a worry.

TBI Pro Expandable Garden Hose 50ft, $55

Best Chew-Proof Hose

Of all the ways to dog-proof a garden, the hose can be the trickiest. Even the best doggos chew things they’re not supposed to from time to time! If your good boy keeps leaving chomp marks on your hose, switch to a steel number that won’t get holes.

Tardigrade Steel Garden Hose 50ft, $34

Best Coil Garden Hose

Coil hoses can be kind of a crapshoot, quality-wise—they have a tendency to Slinky themselves into a tangle. But they’re so dang convenient when they work properly! This one coils itself up like a champ, doesn’t kink, and it’s sturdy and durable. This 5-star Amazon review puts it thusly: “I am happy to report approximately 100% of the water from the spigot passes through to the end of the hose.”

Water Right Professional Coil Garden Hose, 50 Ft., $51.62

Best Hose from Which to Drink

For people who like to drink from the garden hose (is there anything more refreshing?) or need to convey safe drinking water to an RV tank, the Camco hose is the best-rated out there. Being lead- and BPA-free means it’s probably the best bet for hooking up to the kids’ sprinkler, too.

Camco 25ft TastePURE Drinking Water Hose, $9.95

 Best Hose Nozzle

While we love the feel of the traditional garden nozzle with a handle, we find they’re not the most durable when repeatedly dropped on the ground. The Bon-Aire costs a little more, but it’ll last forever (as long as you opt for the steel model, which is sturdier than the fiberglass/aluminum number). It’s also easier on arthritic hands than a squeeze-handle model.

Bon-Aire Original Ultimate Aluminum Hose Nozzle, $25.61

 Best Sprinkler System (For Non-Hose Watering)

Already have a yard bursting with a variety of plants, but feel like just turning on the sprinklers isn’t the best way to maintain it? The editors at Sunset tested Rachio’s latest smart sprinkler controller, the Rachio 3, and our editor’s exact words were, “It changed my life.”

The Rachio 3 takes over your old sprinkler box, with very easy setup and connection to the different areas of your sprinkler system. Then, pair it with the app and your WiFi to start adding in the smarts. The Rachio allows you to set zones in your yard so you can manage the exact amount of watering those zones need, especially handy if you’re growing different things in different areas.

The biggest feature is that Rachio also tracks your local weather for rain, so it’ll skip watering when Mother Nature takes care of the job. That doesn’t just keep it from overwatering, but also helps lower water bills and water usage all around; this has added up to billions of gallons of water saved in the years that Rachio has been on the market. It’s a great fit for lowering your water bill, and getting better control over a diverse yard and its watering needs.

Rachio 3, $208

Sunset’s Garden Hose Care Tips

First and foremost, put the hose away after each use. If it’s possible to store it out of the sun, that will help the hose’s longevity.

One of the most common complaints about garden hoses is leaks. If the hose is leaking from the faucet, check that there’s a rubber gasket in place (and that it isn’t cracked)—some gardeners just replace the gasket every spring just in case. Leaks aren’t just annoying, they waste water!

Unhook the hose from the faucet if freezing temps are in the forecast—the jury’s still out on whether or not leaving hoses attached can result in burst pipes indoors, but it can lead to leaky hoses.

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Photo Credit: Elena Elisseeva / Shutterstock.com