Our 7 Favorite Watering Cans of 2025

I researched dozens of watering cans from home-improvement stores, garden suppliers, home-design companies, and big retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. I’ve tested 43 of them and established these criteria from my research and testing:

Availability: I prioritized watering cans that people can easily buy. Though some of our picks are only seasonally available for brief windows in spring and early summer, ideally you can keep finding these year after year.

Balance and comfort: I looked for vessels that felt balanced when full, without tipping too far forward or backward. Testers also wanted comfortable handles that didn’t dig into their hands or become slippery when wet.

Water flow: I looked for cans with a clean, controllable pour, and Hilton Carter told me to look for cans that could reach the foliage closest to the soil without splooshing water everywhere. He also suggested I look at cans with thinner spouts for smaller plants (less aggressive water pressure) and wider spouts for larger ones.

Size and capacity: I focused on cans that were a half gallon or less for indoor plants and up to two gallons for outdoor plants. I also looked for cans that took up minimal storage space.

Style: We believe that watering cans can (and should) look great. Carter told me when he designs a can he wants people to be able to leave them out on display. He considers shape, texture, and color, and we did too.

Rose tips (optional): A rose is a watering-can accessory that attaches to the end of the spout to create a sprinkler effect. They work best outside because they cover a wide surface area, which can get messy indoors. For cans that had a rose, I looked for removable tips rather than permanently attached versions, so you can choose between a gentle spray of water or a concentrated stream.

For our indoor watering-can testing, I measured how much water each can actually held and evaluated how it felt to fill, carry, and use. I watered many, many plants outside to gauge leaks, spills, and water flow, then I brought the best cans indoors and tried them on my houseplants.

I had three other testers try them, too: my husband (40-something), my mom (70-something), and my daughter (now a teen, but has been helping me test since age 9).

For our outdoor testing, I followed the same methods with the help of the same testers, but I also store them outside uncovered to test how they fare year-round. In September 2022 I brought the best performers to PowellsWood for Justin Henderson and Greta Devan to evaluate, and I also brought them to the Edmonds Floretum Garden Club, where a dozen members tried them out on their community garden and gave me their feedback.