Plant Protection 101: Garden Hose Guards

If you’re like me, you will find yourself crushing some of your precious plants when watering the garden. It usually happens when I’m pulling the garden hose around a corner and it makes a shortcut right over the bed AND my prize Tiarella cordifolia.

The best way to protect your plants is to install garden hose guards or guides along the edge of the garden bed. Hose guards are very easy to install--just push them into the ground by hand or tap them gently with a mallet if the ground is a bit tough. If you don’t have a mallet, put a piece of wood on top of the hose guard before hammering it in so you don’t damage it. You don’t need to install hose guards along every bed, just where the plants are likely to being crushed by the garden hose.

Hose guards or hose guides can be decorative too. You can find animals, birds, finials, and flowers in verdigris, copper and brass finishes.

Here are a few things to look at when ordering your hose guides:

• Make sure they are long enough so that the stake part goes deeply into the ground. 15” to 18” is a good overall length, without 8” to 10” in the ground.
• Select metal models that have a good weight to them and won’t move around.
• If possible, select a style that matches the theme of your garden
• Make sure they have a protective all-weather coating that can withstand the elements and still look attractive.

For more information on hoses, please read this article on storing your garden hose.

More Articles...