A hose that would have fit into my Christmas stocking
HT to my husband who saw this commercial and brought it to my attention. We’re getting carpeted with snow by the first real winter storm I’ve seen in a while (last winter barely deserved the name), and I’ve been thinking about the garden. On my list of projects are:
- Finally solve my easeway problem by covering the whole thing with a stone-enclosed raised bed planted with a perennial that tolerates dry shade. I’m thinking hakonechloa, which does look great en masse.
- Fix the back flagstone pathway.
- Pull out all the ostrich ferns. Replace with …
- Do better containers.
- Make everything better—somehow.
For some reason, snowstorms make me think about the garden. Who knows if any of these blizzard-driven imaginings will come to pass? Probably not all of them, because I am not handy with hardscaping and will have to hire.
One modest thing I would really like is a decent hose, but such a thing might be even farther out of reach than the easeway solution. Amy posted about the pretty purple Dramm hoses, but they didn’t look much different than the green variety I wrestle with every day during a dry summer.
So—a pocket hose? Anybody ever used one?
Posted by Elizabeth Licata on December 27, 2012 at 8:00 am, in the category Taking Your Gardening Dollar.
I like #5: “make everything better”
I suspect the pocket hose would disappoint in flow rate. I have a flat hose with three small water channels and that thing is frustratingly slow!
Hellebores are a good replacement for ostrich fern. Seems like we’ve removed acres of ostrich fern, lily of the valley, and wild type daylily.
You might want to think about epimediums for an ostrich fern replacement. They don’t seem to give a rip about being parked in dry, inhospitable shade. Mine are doing fantastic here in the Finger Lakes!
Hoses are the bane of my existence! Even the expensive ones seem to leak after a few years and kink. I put them in the basement in the winter too. Let us know if you find anything you like.
I have yet to meet a hose that I can get along with. I have a hose cemetery in my garden shed.
What is an easeway?
Love the “Hose Cemetary.” I think we all have one of those!
Omigosh! I haven’t begun to think about how I will make things better in the garden yet. Oh, well. It isn’t even quite 2013 yet.
About the hose…. anyone, anyone????
You MUST try The Perfect Garden Hose from JGB Enterprises, Inc. in Syracuse, NY http://tuffguardhose.com/ . It’s super light I think my 50 foot length weighs about 6 lbs, & it WILL NOT KINK! It’s available in 6 different colors & 3 sizes, AND it’s made in the USA to boot. The link I’ve included is to their blog, but they also have YT, twitter FB channel where you can watch a bunch of videos. Trust me this hose works it’s a bit more expensive, but actually cheaper than the DRAMM hose Amy posted. Sorry don’t mean to get so excited about a garden hose, but they have been a thorn in my side for far to long!! E
Put some variagated solomon’s seal with the hakone and perhaps a hosta or two, they are suprisingly tolerant, and you will have a gorgeous strip!
I’ve looked at looked at the commercials for the Dramm and other similar hoses, but I just can’t believe something that looks like crepe paper would hold up to sun and pets.
That hose is junk! Have a client that bought one, I set it up for her and it didn’t last through its first use- the end broke off.
Thank you….. I loved the idea of that hose, but doubted its quality. Now, I won’t even think about it again.
I second the motion for epimedium in your easeway. I first saw it in drifts at Cornell Plantations and made it my mission to replicate the look at home. The plants are pretty expensive but their hardiness, spring bloom, and fall color make them worth every penny. Another caveat – they spread nicely without running rampant.
I second the epimediums for dry shade. I have sandy soil and they do well. I also have the variegated Solomon seal and it works as well. The regular Solomon ‘s seal in dry shade spreads too much.
Gail, MISchelle, and Inanna,
No fear of ANYTHING spreading too much on my easeway. Full of maple roots.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Deep permaculture beds! Who needs a hose?