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Watering raised border

SuepsSueps Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hi all, has anyone come up with a solution for watering a raised border with tall plants with a sprinkler?

I have a raised herbaceous border which is about 30m long by about 1m deep. At this time of year some of the plants are very tall and I always have trouble watering it. Of course I can work my way along with the hosepipe, but it takes ages! I'd like to use the sprinkler but of course this can only sit on a flat surface so I can only put it on the wall at the front of the border. The result of this is that the water hits the 3 or 4 plants surrounding it and doesn't reach the back. If I put the sprinkler on the lawn or path by the border the water doesn't go high enough at all.

The sprinkler could do with being attached to a long spike to stick into the soil to raise it up above the plants, but there doesn't seem to be anything like this on the market.

A few years ago I even suggested the idea to Hozelock, but they weren't interested.

Please does anyone have any suggestions?
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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I don't have a 30m border, but I would suggest a sprinkler is not the way to go. A Hozelock drip irrigation system, or the like, would be much more efficient, surely. Esp if it's a straight border, where it's easy to lay pipes.
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Agree one of those soaker hoses. Obviously can't lay it until the plants die down but you can loop it around, peg it down with long bent wire clips and then lay bark chips just on top of the hose so you don't put a trowel or shovel through it. Then with the right fittings you can attach your hose possibly with a timer as it has to be on for quite a few hours. Can run it from a water butt with the right equipment.



  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    My sort of raised (20cm high, easy to step on) new herbaceous border is a wavy affair about 25m long with width varying between 1-2m and as I am planting it up the watering is getting increasingly tiresome so I sympathise. I think I have created a monster! I have weaved stepping stones through it to reach the back, is that an option?

    I also water only the roots, but very deeply two or three times a week, because of my hot climate - this is a much more efficient way of watering than using a sprinkler, where a lot gets lost to the air/leaves. However, if a sprinkler suits you, why not just raise it up on a plastic upturned dustbin? Lightweight, easy to store and easy to move along the border, giving you time to do a bit of weeding or whatever in between.

    I have been looking into drip and soak hoses etc, but most systems only work to about 15m, then they run out of puff. Also, if you have hard water, like I do, they clog up really easily. I have a homemade drip system in a grid pattern on my raised veg beds, the first three do ok, the rest not. Every three months or so I have to go along with a pin poking the holes.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I would dearly love a drip system and might try and sort one out, if I can get everything out of pots and into the ground (as was the plan this year. Ha). I hear they are more reliable than soaker systems... I bet there are filters you can attach to systems with anti-limescale gizmos, for hard water areas.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Sprinkler tripods have already been invented.. https://www.google.com/search?q=sprinkler+tripod&safe=strict&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyuMK_5O3bAhVD11MKHWsVCPUQ_AUIEigC&biw=1024&bih=672

    But, as the others said, a soaker hose or drip line is your best option.  Water at the roots, rather than the leaves.  Otherwise, many of the flower heads will be destroyed or damaged.
    Utah, USA.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    Soaker hose would probably be more effective than a drip irrigation system for the border.  That said, once plants are established, even in a raised border, watering requirement should be limited.
    I had a soaker hose of over 30 metres when we remodelled the garden but removed it after a couple of years as it was no longer required.  If I ever get round to reinstating the veg garden I may reuse it there when we go on holiday.  Obviously much easier to lay amongst rows of veg than to feed through a flower border.
  • SuepsSueps Posts: 6
    edited June 2018
    Hi all, thanks for the replies. I will look at drip and soaker hoses, problem is I'd need about 100m! We do have soft water so something like that might be ok. For the sake of simplicity I didn't say that the border changes height, from about 1/2m to just over one, in stages, so I can't really use a bin. I've looked at tripods, but all the ones I've seen are for rotary sprinklers.

    I really can't understand why you can't get a sprinkler attached to a long spike, we've tried to modify mine but can't attach it securely enough. Back to the drawing board maybe!
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Could you install a proper, permanent irrigation system?
  • SuepsSueps Posts: 6
    Not really, it would mean digging up a concrete path and making a hole in the retaining wall. A drip system that I can connect up when I need might be the best way. Thanks anyway.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    edited June 2018
    A long time back but I did have a tripod sprinker where I could limit the arc.  It just kept flicking back and forward when it reached the limit.  It's still not ideal for your situation but would be better than standing with a hose.
    I have no knowledge of the company or the specific product but there are plenty of others on t'interweb.

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