Automatic Irrigation...for the lazy gardener in you!

I am a budding gardener but also, admittedly, a lazy one! If you are like me, what you need is a Hozelock Automatic Irrigation Set.

I love all kinds of plants and have them dotted around, from my borders to hanging baskets and pots on my decking. The only problem I have is Im a little lazy when it comes to maintaining them i.e. watering. Also, when I go on holiday, as we do every summer, I usually return to find my beautiful blooms a withering mess!

Looking for something to help me, I came across this easy and very reliable system. It will depend how many plants and flowers to determine how much you need to spend, but when you have installed the basic system, any extras are cheap and you can add to your system whenever you need to.

First up, the tap timer; there are pretty much two types of tap timers worth considering. The first one is the Hozelock Aqua Control AC1+ Tap Timer; this is a good solid tap timer that allows you to set it to water your garden up to four times per day (every 6, 8, 12 or 24 hours) every day, or every 2, 3 or 7 days, automatically for up to three hours using dial settings.

The other is the Hozelock Aqua Control Pro Tap Timer. This is a digital timer that allows you to programme up to four different programmes for each watering day at any time with keypad setting and LCD display. It can be set to water every 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 days, maximum watering time per programme is 11 hours 59 min. It is extremely flexible to meet any gardener's needs.

If your outside tap is too powerful there is also a pressure regulator which is handy so that it doesnt blow the pipes.

Next up is the actual tubing. This runs from the tap to wherever you want to water, starting with the 13mm supply tube that carries the water to however many (within reason) directions you want. Then from the supply tube you run your micro tube with all the sprinklers, drippers and so forth. I wont go into detail on every item as there are hundreds, but I will tell you what I have on my system...

I have a 4-way tap connector on my outside tap so I can still wash the car with my system plugged in, then off there I have the AC1+ to which runs in three different directions. It also means your system is set up but you can still use the tap for other uses.

One side runs to my flower beds which simply includes a few 360º sprinklers. Another side runs to my hanging baskets, where I have a few adjustable sprinklers that water the baskets.

My third and final tube runs to my pots which are situated on my decking, the slim 4mm tube is flexible and easily hidden. In the pots I have the end of line adjustable mini sprinkler - just the job!

To get started with the systems, there are auto kits available; they come with a complete starter set that allows you to set up a simple system. Then, whenever you need to, you can add on to the kit whatever you need.