In article , torge conrad
maguar wrote:

I have a short front garden and need to get a hose out regularly since I
have a lot plants only sitting in about 18 inches of soil.

My cheapo hose ( its gone a bit hard and stiff over the years) is always a
struggle to coil up and uncoil.

I seem to remember some time ago seeing a hose for sale somewhere that was
soft and very flexible and 'flattens' up to reels up. Can anyone recommend
one of those please? and perhaps tell me the make of it so I can try and
locate one in north London. Thanks

Not sure what your budget is but I swear by my Fast Cart (Hozelock) --
http://www.garden4less.co.uk/hozelock-fast-cart.asp - but shop around
as I have seen it somewhere for £60. I put a long feeder hose on it so
that I can easily wheel the cart from the tap at the back of the house
to the front garden. And the hose rewinding is semi-automatic, needing
very little effort.

Another option might be a drip watering system which you could connect
up to the tap or to a water butt, leaving the drippers permanently in
place. You would only have to turn on the tap to water everything at
once -- or you could use an electronic timer so that you don't even
have to turn the tap on.