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Which Gardena water control to buy

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have one outside tap and a row of Gardena names that all sound like a timer. Which Gardena water control you buy depends on the job, because a countdown wheel, a knob of presets, a weekday computer, a pot computer, two outlets and a phone are different machines. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team, updated on 21 October 2026. We read the eight amazon.co.uk listings in this set, prices from 19 October 2026, and we did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Pound prices and star counts sit on the [Gardena water timer comparison](/hub/garden-watering/gardena-water-timer).

You have one outside tap and a row of Gardena names that all sound like a timer.

Our top picks

Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)

Best overall

Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)
9.6/10about £28.82
View offer
Gardena Gardena Water Control Select (1891-28)

Rank 2

Gardena Gardena Water Control Select (1891-28)
9.4/10about £53.99
View offer
Gardena Gardena Water Timer (1169-20)

Alternative

Gardena Gardena Water Timer (1169-20)
9.0/10about £31.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start from the job, not the badge
  2. 2.One outlet without a phone
  3. 3.Two outlets or a phone
  4. 4.Checks on every branch

Start from the job, not the badge

A badge on a comparison is a label for one job, not a prize for every garden. The 1169-20 only stops a hose you have already opened: 5 to 120 minutes, or continuous flow, and UK reviews describe clockwork. If the tap has to open itself, you need an electronic water control. The Easy is one knob and 15 presets. The EasyPlus is two knobs and 69 presets. The Select stores three schedules with a start, a duration and a weekday. The Flex is the short-cycle pot computer. The Duo and the smart Dual state two outlets. If the days have to differ, stop at the Select.

One outlet without a phone

On one tap, without an app, the split is a shut-off, a preset or a free programme. The 1169 is the wrong tool for a fortnight away, which the best Gardena water timer page treats as a skip, because nothing in the listing stores a future start. Easy and EasyPlus are fixed lists. Gardena's UK Easy Plus page says there is no sensor socket and quotes about 0.8 to 10 bar. The amazon article 1897-20 is not shown to be the same box as UK article 1897-28. The Flex, at £49.49, is for short pot runs. The UK page states 1 second to 99 minutes and up to six cycles a day, and the listing does not describe weekday programming.
Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)

Testsieger

Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)
9.6/10about £28.82
View offer

Two outlets or a phone

Two areas on one tap are a Duo or a smart Dual, not one Select feeding two open hoses. The MultiControl Duo, at £106.27, programmes two outlets independently and shows 4.4 from 3,715 reviews. A 9 V battery and the optional sensor are not included. The smart Dual, at £136.95, lists two separate valves. The amazon table says 9 volts while Gardena's UK page for 19034-20 says three AA cells. The included line says one unit and the technical table says number of items 2. The single smart Water Control at £109.99 shows 4.7 from 99 ratings, next to the Select's 6,653.

Checks on every branch

The 1169 listing names 26.5 mm (3/4 inch) or 33.3 mm (G1). The Select manual wants the unit vertical, sleeve nut upward, tightened by hand, and roughly 20 to 30 litres an hour, so flow is lower than an open tap. Select, Flex and the Duo use one 9 V alkaline cell, not in the box. Easy and EasyPlus follow two AA cells on the current UK pages. Smart amazon tables say 9 volts and the UK pages say three AA cells. None of them should stay full of water in a frost. Setting the Select clock is on how to programme a Gardena water control. A water butt with no pump will not feed these tap valves.

Common questions

Is the mechanical timer enough if I only forget to turn the hose off?
Yes, if you are there to open the tap and you only need it to stop. The 1169-20 sets a run of 5 to 120 minutes, or continuous flow, and UK reviews describe clockwork. It does not store a start time for a later day. Watering the pots at 7am while you are at work needs an electronic water control.
When is Easy enough, and when do I need EasyPlus?
The Easy, at £28.82, is enough when one of 15 presets matches the repeat on a single tap. The EasyPlus, at £39.99, gives two knobs and 69 presets when the simple dial has no close line. Neither knob writes a free Monday-and-Thursday plan. If the days differ, the Select is the listing that stores weekdays.
Flex or Select for pots on a balcony?
Use the Flex when the pots want several short drip runs: the UK page states 1 second to 99 minutes and up to six cycles a day. Use the Select when you would rather name the days, and you can live with a one-minute minimum rather than a one-second pulse. Some Flex buyers needed a separate adapter for a standard UK outside tap.
Do I need two outlets or two taps?
You need a two-outlet computer when one tap must feed two programmes, such as drip and a sprinkler. That is the Duo without a phone, or the smart Dual if you want the app and a gateway bought separately. Two taps can each take a single-outlet unit. A splitter on one Select is not two schedules.
Does the smart box include the gateway?
The bullets claim smart-home compatibility. They do not name a gateway in the box. Bluetooth at the tap can set a schedule without it. Changing the plan from somewhere else needs the smart Gateway, internet and an account. Five-year cover on those bullets still depends on registration.

Related pages

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Gardena water timer

Best Gardena water timer for weekday watering 2026

How to programme a Gardena water control step by step

Sources

Manufacturer pages, the Select manual, and UK public sources for bans and backflow. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 19 October 2026. This is not a lab test.

  1. Gardena UK Select 1891-28 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Gardena UK Easy Plus 1897-28 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Gardena UK Flex (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Gardena UK smart Water Control 19033-20 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. Gardena Select manual (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Thames Water temporary hosepipe ban legal notice (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. WaterSafe — double check valve on an outside tap (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Water Industry Act 1991 s.76 (retrieved 19.10.2026)