Prize Draw for readers.
*update: Mary Thomas has won the prize draw. Thank you everyone for leaving a comment.
Having been sent a new Hozelock hosepipe to try out, I discovered there’s a limit to my artistic talents. I just couldn’t think of any fancy ways to photograph said hosepipe! So here it is, piled on my garden bench. Even the cat is looking quizzically at me.
Anyway, my trial went much better than my picture-taking. I can confirm that the new Tuffhoze is a wonder. It’s lightweight and doesn’t twist, kink or trip you up.
As you can see, my old hosepipe has a leak, which means you get sprayed up the back every time you switch it on. It also almost causes a hernia when you need to manoeuvre it. It’s heavy and cumbersome, and wastes precious water.
Whereas the Tuffhoze is light enough to be carried on one arm. And here I am – arm outstretched, holding the hosepipe. I don’t think they will give me a job in their promotional department, but I’m trying very hard to make a hosepipe exciting!
As you can see from the box, the new hosepipe is a hybrid combining the best of two types of hose technologies; traditional pvc and textile. With a good 30 year guarantee, it should be hard wearing and long lasting.
I was delighted to be asked to try out the new hose and give it 10 out of 10 for being easy to use and light weight. I am always looking for ways to make gardening easier, and this addition to the garden will be a boon next summer.
I used the hosepipe to give my plant pots a clean, as there’s not much watering needed at this time of the year. All my spare plant pots are going to Dobbies garden centres where a new recycling scheme has just been launched. All plastic pots of any size and colour, and also trays are being accepted – but not polystyrene containers. Dobbies say the plant pots will be turned into pellets which will then be recycled into new plastic items. They say the pots will not end up in landfill. There are 34 garden centres in the UK and all are taking part in the recycling scheme. They just ask that the pots have been given a quick wash first, as too much soil will hamper the process.
So to sum up, the main plus points for Tuffhoze, for us gardeners, are:
* Easy to move about and lightweight
* Doesn’t kink
*UV resistant and hardwearing
* Good quality, leak free fittings
*Easy to clean
*Coils up neatly, making it easy to store. Can be wound on to a cart, but mine went back in the box.
*Comes with a jet nozzle with variable sprays.
*Has a tap converter, with two types of thread.
Fresh water is a luxury, and so, all the water I used to clean the plant pots was saved and will be used to water the poly tunnel over the winter. I didn’t need much as the powerful sprayer washed the pots really well.
Please leave a comment below if you would like to have your name put into a prize draw. The prize draw ends on Sunday 8th December.
Hozelock are running the competition and a name will be randomly selected. All the usual rules apply, there’s no cash alternative and Hozelock’s decision is final. I’m not sure what size hose they will be sending out, to be honest. It will either be 15m or 25m. Probably after Christmas now. Good luck!
Please help me spread the word about bramblegarden.com by sharing this post with a friend, a neighbour or via any social media platform you like. Thank you.
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This looks like a most useful hose Karen and the idea of lighter equipment appeals more and more with each year. I’ve got to the stage though where sadly I don’t think that I would need a thirty year guarantee 😄 I shall have to make a trip to Dobbies early in the new year.
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Now you’ve made me laugh. To be honest, I’m not sure I need a 30 year guarantee either…. 😀 xx
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Hi Karen.
I would love to be entered into your draw to test out the new Hozelock Tuffhoze as I purchased the one with the soft inner tube and my 2 cats put there claws in it and it’s no good to man or beast.
Kind Regards
Annette.
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Thank you Annette. I know what you mean about the soft inner tube types. They are irresistible to cats! Luckily the new Tuffhoze is strongly made. Good luck in the prize draw. Karen.
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Karen I love the hose. If I could enter the raffle. Although I have everything with drip irrigation there are areas where I use the hose to irrigate. My hose and I get along fatally: it just bends, it weighs a lot and to wind it up (it measures 25 meters) it is horrible. Seeing how little your new hose weighs gives me healthy envy. By the way I recycle the sherds and plastic trays at the Dobbies Garden Centers. Your garden looks wonderful. I’m glad you’re not very cold. A lot of love, a lot of health, a lot of strength, a lot of encouragement for your whole family, for you and Mr B. Loving caresses for Grace and Meg. Take care Affectionate greetings from Margarita.xxx
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I like the sound of this hose. This summer I spent hours too and fro with the watering can because hauling out our heavy hose was such an unpleasant task. On the plus side it meant I got up close and communed with my plants, but every night got a bit much!
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Thank you Chris. Wasn’t it a hot dry summer. Followed by such a deluge this autumn! We are getting more and more weather extremes. I can highly recommend the new hose pipe for being easy to use. I know what you mean about the heavy rubber hoses. I have to get my husband to pull ours around the garden. I really hate having to ask for help, so anything that makes life easier – and makes me more independent gets top marks from me. Good luck in the draw.
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Good efforts on trying to photograph and make a hose look more exciting. Looks top notch. Always good to hear about tools you don’t necessarily put much thought into. On a similar vein, I’m looking into a new wheelbarrow and wasn’t aware of the many options now available.
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Thank you. I’ve got my father in laws 1950s wheelbarrow. It’s metal with a metal wheel! So it will never get a puncture. It’s small and perfectly balanced. I really love it and have promised to take good care of it. I’ve also been given all his gardening tools. One of the forks has a motivational message “good patience,” with a smiley face! They need more looking after than the modern stainless steel ones, but they have come to me in perfect condition, so I must look after them. Good luck with your research.
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Tools sound lovely. Quite a few I’ve looked at have solid tyres which might be useful as I go over a lot of rough ground. A lot of recommendations for the Dyson wheel balls. But to be fair anything will be better than my current one which is falling apart each trip to the brown bin leads to another bit of metal falling off but came with the garden and survived 3 years.
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It sounds too good to be true Karen! I put the last part of our garden hose away a few days ago as it has been down to -6°C and below zero all day too and we have already started thinking about how to make watering our containers easier next year as the hose needs to be very long and is so heavy! I hate washing pots, but I usually try and keep up with it before it gets too cold. I save most of mine as I am still dreaming of getting a greenhouse one day when I might need them! 😉
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Thank you Cathy. This one is really lovely and light. I don’t know how they have managed to make one strong enough and manoeuvrable at the same time. I love it. It means I won’t get as tired watering the containers next summer. Which means I’ll have more energy to garden! I do hope you get your greenhouse. I’m constantly in and out of mine in all this wet weather. You’ll see photos of my greenhouse in Garden News Dec 31. I’m starting to write about my garden on a regular basis. Didn’t panic and tidy it up. It is as it is. A rather scruffy wildlife garden. Xx
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We purchased one of those new hoses, alas my 2 new cats decided to play with it and now it has cat punctures in it. Tried to repair it but to no avail. Wasted my money. Only had it about 4 weeks. Gone back to the old one.
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Hi Annette, I think you might be talking about the stretch hoses. I have one of those and they are not the same as these new hoses which have a tough inner core like traditional pvc ones, and a fibre woven outer layer. Cats wouldn’t be able to puncture the Tuffhoze. I have a puppy and 2 cats, so it’s been thoroughly tested here. Could you check if yours is the stretch hose, or a Tuffhoze and let me know. If you are right, e mail me at k.gimson@btinternet.com please. Thanks for reading and for getting in touch.
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…should have mentioned, Karen, it’s good to learn about Dobbies taking pots. I have loads – and trays too. Sorting them out a satisfying winter job, but maybe not the washing!
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Luckily it was a rare sunny day yesterday. Got a system going with buckets, brush and quick blast of water to rinse. Laid out on my 1930s nursery trolleys to dry. Stacked and in the car by 4. Treated myself to tea and cake at Dobbies 🙂👍
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Sounds really good, Karen. No kinks and lightweight. Hoses seem to get heavier as I get older! Would be ideal for my garden.
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Thanks Mary, yes it would be perfect. I was amazed I could hold it in one arm. With arm outstretched. I have to be really careful with my back, so anything that makes life easier is welcome here. Thanks for reading. Good luck in the draw.
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Hi Mary, you’ve won the Tuffhoze hose pipe! Hozelock pulled your name out of the hat. E mail me your address and I’ll get them to send it – hopefully before Christmas. It’s worth £50, so is a nice prize for them to offer. I feel very lucky to get the chance to try out all these garden tools and equipment. Thanks again for reading the blog and entering the prize draw. Karen
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You have certainly given it excellent press
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Thank you Derrick. I’ve done my best. I’m not instagramable after all 😄👍
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This post oozes with honest practicality. It made me smile.
I would love not to trip on a hosepipe and also, not to have to retrace my steps to undo kinks.
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Thank you. I’ve realised I’m just not ‘instagramable’. I’m glad you smiled. It was lovely not to have a hosepipe that wraps round your leg and trips you up. Highly recommended. Good luck in the draw.
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Very useful to hear about your new Hozelock product. I really like those I have so far.
And thanks for the tip re re-cycling unwanted and damaged pots. It looks like the old Wyevale place is now a Dobbies. Another reason to visit.
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Yes Sue, it’s the old Wyvale. I’m back and forth at the moment, had to check they could take 75 pots in one go, and they said they could. Took me all afternoon to wash, set out to dry and pack them though. Worth it if they are going to be recycled and not tipped. Now I’ve got rid of my huge collection, I shall go every week and it will be a more manageable task. I do reuse a lot, but there’s a limit to how many you can keep in a garden. Good luck in the draw. Can highly recommend the latest product. I’ve got a liquid feed container to try as well. Uses stingers and comfrey to make organic feed, without the horrible smell. Will report back
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