There is no gardening tool more useful than a garden hose. Without a hose, your plants would wither and die. A hose is an essential gardening tool.
But the hoses are unsightly, bulky and unwieldy coils of rubber that are hard to bundle up and store out of sight.
As a garden equipment tester, I've used a lot of hoses and have dozens of hose samples lying around my garden, which means I know all the best ways to store them.
(Image source: the_burtons via Getty Images)
1. Hose reel
(Image credit: Getty Images/skuji)
The easiest way to store a hose is with a hose reel. It's a tedious solution, but sometimes the tedious method is better. A hose reel makes it easy to bundle up your hose after use and lets you fit hundreds of feet of hose into about one cubic foot of space.
The only downside to hose reels is that they can look a little impractical, so we recommend buying a model with wheels. This will not only make it easier to move the hose around your garden, but also make it easier to move the reel out of sight when you have guests over or when you want to store the hose away for the winter in colder months.
Liberty Garden Products Hose Reel
This classic hose reel cart holds up to 350 feet of 5/8″ hose. It has wheels so you can easily move it around your yard. My favorite feature is the basket, which is perfect for storing your hose spray nozzle.
Gorilla 150ft Aluminum Zero Rust Upright Hose Reel
If you know you won't be moving your hose reel, this Gorilla reel comes with four sturdy feet to keep it in place. Made from aluminum, it's completely rust-proof.
Liberty Garden Products Decorative Garden Hose Reel
Most hose reels are pretty ugly, but this model offers a more decorative approach.
2. Wall hanging
This old-fashioned solution is simple, but hard to beat: a great wall-mounted hose neatly tucks your hose away in a compact space, mounts flush to the wall, and is always close at hand when you need to water your plants.
As with hose reels, wall mounts can be a little plain looking, but there are a number of decorative mounts on the market that can not only hold your hose but also incorporate it into your garden's aesthetic.
The downside is that it requires permanent modification to your wall, and the neon green hose looks a bit out of place when attached to an iron hose holder. If this bothers you, consider replacing the hose with a more subdued black or silver model. It will be less visible on your lawn, posing a tripping hazard, but it's less garish.
Peomev Metal Garden Hose Holder
There's nothing fancy about this hose holder. It's not flashy, but it will store 150 feet of hose out of the way. It comes with screws and plastic anchors for mounting to a wall.
Liberty Garden Horse Butler
For a more stylish approach, try this decorative hose wall mount, which, like the reel above, has built-in storage space to hold your gardening tools.
Garden Glory Claw Hose Holder
Truly stylish people will love this hose holder from Garden Glory, designed to resemble a falcon's claws. Made from chrome-plated brass, this bold wall mount will last for years.
3. Wall-mounted hose reel
Professional gardener Drew Swainston told me, “I know a lot of gardeners swear by wall mounted hose reels. They combine the best of both a hose reel and a wall mount into one convenient storage solution. They fit flush against your garden wall, so they save space like a wall mount, and unlike a hose reel, they don't take up patio space.”
However, unlike wall-mounted models, you don't have to reel it in by hand. It's usually done with a reel-like handle, which makes the job much easier. Plus, many models go a step further than hose reels; they reel in automatically, eliminating the need to reel in at all, saving you the trouble.
Retractable Garden Hose Reel
This is the epitome of a good wall mounted reel, with a built in hose spray nozzle that retracts automatically, eliminating the hassle.
Ames 2415500 Wall Mounted Reel
This wall mounted reel has an ingenious feature that should become an industry standard: a little plastic square on the front that guides the hose and keeps your hands from getting dirty.
Liberty Garden Rotating Garden Hose Reel
If you have to move around a lot while watering, consider this wall-mounted reel, which rotates with you as you move, reducing strain on your hose while watering.
Drew Swainston
Social Links Navigation
Content Editor at Homes & Gardens
Drew qualified as a journalist and contributed articles to a number of websites and publications before beginning his horticulture qualification and working as a professional gardener for several years, specialising in home gardening, before bringing his expertise and passion to Homes & Gardens.
4. Horsebox or pot
(Image credit: Getty Images / ftwitty)
If you find your hose unsightly and would prefer to keep it out of sight, a hose box or pot offers a stylish storage solution. As the name suggests, it is a box or pot designed to store your hose discreetly. It has a discreet hole in the side for the hose to run through and a drainage hole in the bottom to prevent water accumulating.
The big drawback to this solution is that it is not very portable and you cannot easily move these boxes around your garden. A smaller drawback is that many of the horse boxes on the market are cheap fake poly wicker designs that don't look very good and don't serve their purpose.
A pot like this will allow you to hide your hose among other planters, but still make it stand out. Available in three different colors.
This horse pot is perfect for a bohemian space, and its weathered patina is the perfect complement to the industrial horse.
Portside Wooden Hose Holder
An unassuming wooden box like this one is perfect for hiding an unsightly hose. Not only can it store your hose out of sight, but it can also double as a little side table for your planters.
5. Hose straps
If you're tight on cash, the storage strap is your best option. I love it. It can hold over 100 feet of hose and keep it neat and organized. Best of all, it has a handy carry handle so it's easy to carry in and out of your garage or shed. Unlike other options, you don't need to attach anything to it.
The downside is that it takes time and effort – you have to manually wind and unwind the hose every time you use it, which is a bit inconvenient.
Geedar Water Hose Storage Strap
This simple strap keeps your hoses in one place and also has a handle for easy transport.
Do not use flexible hoses.
(Image credit: Getty Images / robypangy)
If an expandable hose is advertised as a storage solution, it's best to avoid it. I have tested several expandable hoses as a product tester and they all have major drawbacks. They are handy if you have a small patio or vegetable patch, but they don't actually save much space. Sure, an expandable hose stretches to three times its size, but a 100-foot expandable hose is only 30 feet long when retracted. When bundled up on a wall, it takes up just as much space as any other hose. Plus, you can't wind it on a reel because it might burst. It doesn't kink when in use, but it does get very tangled when it's retracted.
And that's not the only storage issue. In practice there are even more problems with using it: it never reaches the size advertised, it's heavy and unwieldy, and not very sturdy. Stick to traditional storage solutions if you can.
For more advice on hoses, check out our guide which includes advice on whether it's safe to drink from a hose or how to stop a hose leaking from your tap.
