Best garden sprinkler: bless your lawn and borders with a top-notch sprinkler

Any gardener worth their salt knows just how important irrigation is and come summer time, the best garden sprinkler is the easiest way to do this. Allowing the user to water their garden with minimal effort, a garden sprinkler works when connected to the best garden hose, setting to work as soon as you turn the tap on. Dependent on water pressure and the number of holes it has, a sprinkler can spray water far and near. If you've just installed some fresh turf, a garden sprinkler is certainly a worthy investment, reaping the reward of better, more consistent growth. 

Now, we know what you're thinking: where to start? With a glut of products out there to choose from, finding the right option for your needs can prove a little tricky. That's why we've curated a neat selection of the best you can buy, factoring in a range of considerations, such as coverage, water pressure, value for money and, of course, wear and tear. Perhaps you're after a wide choice of spray settings, from jet to mist. Maybe, you're hunting down a model suitable for large gardens. Or, you might just be looking for something cheap and cheerful. Fortunately, we have you set for every one of these criteria. 

These are all budget-friendly options that will help you water this summer, but if you want something to water while you are away, check out the best self watering systems for smart irrigation and self-watering planters.

Best garden sprinklers for lush lawns and borders

Whether you’re caring for parched lawns, new turf or grass seed, we reckon you’ll be delighted with this easy-to-use design.

Water pressure
We like the fact that this sprinkler can cope with water pressure from 1 to 10 bar without compromising its even coverage.

Big gardens
With coverage of 180 square metres, this sprinkler is ideal if you have a big lawn to water, and it can be adjusted to water a part rectangle as necessary.

Staying stable
Less than level lawn to look after? The sled base of the sprinkler will help it stay stable.

This oscillating sprinkler gives generous coverage and it’s easy to adjust so you’ll get plenty for your money.

Made to last
This design is made from impact-resistant plastic and aluminium so you can keep tending your grass for years to come.

Cleaning needle
Sprinkler nozzles can get blocked over time, but this version comes with a needle so you can clean them out easily.

Long-range
With coverage of up to 250 square metres, this will evenly spray many gardens without even needing to be repositioned.

This is a flexible design that’s ideal for keeping plants as well as grass well watered, and it will cope with large gardens.

All-round
This four-arm rotating sprinkler has a maximum coverage of up to 18m diameter and up to 254 square metres.

Spray settings
As well as caring for your lawn and established plants with the jet spray, you can also set the sprinkler to mist delicate plants and seedlings.

No fuss
Just turn the knob to change the setting – easy. The sled mount should keep it in place on the grass.

If you’re looking for a sprinkler that will sort out parched patches of lawn when rain is in short supply, check out this little number.

Make an adjustment
There are eight modes available from this sprinkler and you can adjust the water flow as well. It will deliver a maximum of 879 litres of water per hour for 3 bar water pressure.

Cheap and cheerful
This design’s made from plastic alone and doesn’t have the metal components some of our other choices do. But we’re not complaining at this price.

Join in
The sprinkler is compatible with most click-fit 3/4 inch watering systems.

This smart-looking plastic design doesn’t make things complicated and you can adjust the spray of water easily.

Colour combo
OK, it’s a garden sprinkler, but we can still appreciate its aesthetic qualities and this is a pleasing design in green and grey.

Fitting in
The sprinkler is compatible with all standard hose connector fittings so you can get going with lawn care with no hassle.

Big plot
There’s coverage for 150 square metres, so it’ll cope with a range of different garden sizes.

Anchored with a spike, this sprinkler is ideal if you have sloping areas to water or your lawn isn’t bowling green flat.

Stay in place
Rather than sitting on top of the ground, this sprinkler is a spike design and you won’t have to worry about it toppling over, or tumbling down a slope.

Flexible friend
Adjust the spray angle to water underneath trees, and set the watering area from 30 to 360º.

Universal compatibility
You can use this sprinkler with all the available click systems.

How to buy the best garden sprinkler

When looking for the best garden sprinkler, you'll want to have a few things close to mind. To help make your search process that little bit easier, we've outlined some of the key concerns below, as well as some commonly asked questions.

Think coverage
To get the job done as efficiently as possible you’ll want a sprinkler with coverage to suit your garden. Some promise even coverage whatever your water pressure, but bear in mind that with others you may get less coverage if your water pressure is relatively low.

Look for adjustability
It’s useful to be able to adjust the sprinkler jets so you’re not watering anything other than the lawn or plants – in other words, paths, the drive, the fence and so on.

Think about stability
A pancake-flat garden shouldn’t prove a problem, but if yours isn’t, look for a base that will be stable, or go for a sprinkler with a spike.

Compatibility test
Generally speaking, you shouldn't have an issue connecting your garden sprinkler up with the hose and faucet at home. However, it is always better to be safe than sorry, so do make sure the product you buy is compatible with your hose connector fittings.

What is the best sprinkler for a garden?
Sure, it's an obvious question, but it's more than valid. The short answer? It depends. Firstly, you'll want to consider what kind of garden you're dealing with. If you have sloping garden ideas to deal with, something like the Kärcher PS300 Pulsating Sprinkler would be sensical. Alternatively, for small and low-maintenance garden ideas, you'd probably opt for the Wickes Eight Pattern Garden Hose Pipe Sprinkler. 

Is a sprinkler good for a vegetable garden?
Good question. Often, when we think of sprinklers, we think of grass. But, of course, a sprinkler can prove very useful indeed when watering vegetables, particularly those that are planted in sandy, highly absorbent soil. Equally, if you're short on time, it's one way to speed things up. Nonetheless, because water comes from high above with a sprinkler, its impact can be a little too much on delicate crops, so you'll want to test it out beforehand.

Is it better to hand water or use a sprinkler?
Usually, hand watering is not the most quickest method of watering plants, although, it is undeniably a smart way to conserve water. For this reason, we'd suggest that when using a garden sprinkler you check the optimum time to irrigate. If it's too hot, the water will evaporate too quickly to adequately nourish the grass so in summer you will have to wait until sunset or your garden is in shade. Our garden water saving tips include more advice on responsible watering.

What about the kids?
For adults, garden sprinklers should be functional and high performance, but for kids, they need to be fun. Make sure you get it right for your little ones and explore our best garden sprinklers for kids. Oh, and don't worry, big kids can get involved too.