5 Gardening and Watering Tools that Will Solve Your Dry Yard Problems

After spending cool spring days carefully planning your veggie garden, planting your flower beds, installing new trees and shrubs, and laying sod to refresh your lawn, you may find yourself with a lot of thirsty plants to get through a hot and dry summer. While you can't will it to rain, you can equip yourself with a few affordable gardening and watering tools that can help make watering your lawn and garden much less of a chore. The goal is to water smarter, not harder, while keeping your plants well-hydrated all season long.

Get started with these hoses, nozzles, irrigation timers, rain gauges, and more.

Lightweight Hose

Nothing makes watering more of a hassle than lugging around a bulky, heavy hose. Maneuver around the garden more easily with this lightweight, flexible garden hose. It expands to three times its size (up to 75 feet long) when it's in use, then shrinks back down, so it's easy to store in your garage or shed until you need it again. Plus, it resists kinking.

Buy It: Flexi Hose Lightweight Expandable Garden Hose ($60, Amazon)

Bright Hose Nozzle

Get more out of your hose with an attachable head. You can even color-coordinate your hose nozzle with patio cushions or the shade of your favorite blooms. It changes pressure with a simple slide of your thumb.

Buy It: Dramm Revolution 9-Pattern Spray Nozzle ($25, Amazon)

Slow Drip Irrigation

Avoid evaporation and runoff by delivering water directly above thirsty root balls with a drip irrigation set up. A starter kit is perfect for small beds or up to six containers. You can also cut and shape the hose to work for your garden.

Buy It: Toro Drip Starter Kit ($11, Amazon)

Watering Stakes

If you don't want to fill up and lug around a watering can daily, use watering stakes to do the job for you. Stick one of these terra-cotta stakes into a planter, then fill a wine bottle with water to set on top. The terra-cotta will slowly release water to your container garden, so the plants have a consistent source of moisture but aren't sitting in soggy soil. Plus, the stakes will fit any long-neck bottle, so they're a good way to recycle and help hydrate your garden simultaneously.

Buy It: Plant Nanny Wine Bottle Stake Set ($20, Amazon)

High-Tech Rain Gauge

You can check outdoor conditions without leaving your chair with a wireless rain gauge. The self-emptying rain collector wirelessly reports rainfall amounts and outdoor temperatures to an indoor monitor with an easy-to-read LCD. The monitor also tracks rainfall amounts for the previous 365 days, so you'll know if you've received at least an inch of rainfall during the past week or if you need to get out and water.

Buy It: AcuRite 00899 Rain Gauge ($43, Amazon)