Garden Irrigation Systems, Installed and Maintained by Hortlands

Cost depends on garden size, number of zones and whether the system is mains fed or tank fed. A small mains-fed dripline system for beds and borders sits at the lower end, while a fully automated, multi-zone system with above-ground storage tanks and smart control for a large estate garden sits considerably higher.

Because every system is designed around your specific soil, slope and planting rather than a standard kit, we price after a site survey rather than by square metre. A survey is free and comes with a no-obligation quote.

Temporary Use Bans (the formal term for hosepipe bans) typically restrict the use of a hosepipe connected to the mains supply — this generally covers mains-fed sprinklers and driplines too, since they draw from the same source.

Tank fed systems, supplied from stored rainwater or a borehole rather than the mains, are usually unaffected. This is one of the main reasons we recommend above-ground storage tanks for larger gardens: they keep planting alive through restrictions that would otherwise leave a mains-only system unusable.

A mains fed system draws directly from your property’s water supply — straightforward to install, with no storage infrastructure needed, but subject to mains pressure and any use restrictions in place.

A tank fed system draws from one or more storage tanks, filled from rainwater harvesting, a borehole, or a mains top-up. It costs more upfront but gives you an independent water supply, more consistent pressure across large zone counts, and continuity through hosepipe bans.

Yes. Standing water left in pipework, valves or sprinkler heads over winter can freeze and crack fittings, which shows up as leaks or dead zones the following spring. We recommend a winterisation service each autumn — draining or blowing out the lines, protecting the controller and above-ground fittings, and checking backflow devices — before the first hard frost.

It depends on how many distinct planting types are on site, not just square metreage. Lawn, borders, containers and hedging all have different watering needs, so each is generally run as its own zone — a rose bed should never be watered on a lawn’s schedule.

Slope, sun exposure and soil type can also split a single bed into more than one zone. This is exactly what our site survey establishes before any pipework is designed.

Yes, meaningfully. A weather-aware controller adjusts run times to actual conditions and skips watering entirely after rainfall, rather than running a fixed schedule regardless of weather. Paired with correctly zoned dripline and sprinkler heads, this is the main lever for cutting water waste — most of the saving comes from not watering when the garden doesn’t need it, rather than from the equipment itself.