About this product
Full description
The properly considered indoor watering can — lightweight, accurate, beautifully made, and properly designed for the precise small-volume work that houseplants actually need. The Sophie Conran Indoor Watering Can in Blue, made by Burgon & Ball in Sheffield, combines proper everyday usefulness with the kind of considered styling that means you don't mind leaving it out on the kitchen counter or by the windowsill plants.
At £27.50, properly the upgrade from the plastic kitchen jug most of us water houseplants with — a piece of garden kit you'll use weekly for years and properly enjoy doing so.
The houseplant watering problem
Most household watering cans are properly designed for outdoor use — large capacity, broad spout, rose attachment for fine spray onto seedlings or borders. None of which is right for indoor plants, which need:
- A precise, narrow spout that gets water into the pot without splashing onto leaves, floors or windowsills
- Smaller capacity that's manageable when you're moving between pots indoors
- Light weight for carrying around the house
- An indoor aesthetic that doesn't look out of place sitting on a counter
- Proper build quality that doesn't drip, leak or rust
This is properly that watering can.
What makes it work
- Slender precision spout — gets the water exactly where you want it, into the soil rather than across the leaves. Particularly useful for plants where wet leaves cause problems (African violets, peace lily, calatheas, ferns with delicate fronds)
- Powder-coated galvanised steel body — properly the right balance of light weight and rust-resistance. Won't dent like cheaper indoor cans, won't rust like galvanised garden cans
- Tranquil pale blue finish — soft, considered colour that suits modern and traditional interiors equally. Doesn't shout for attention amongst your plants
- Ergonomically curved handle — the kind of detail you don't notice until you've used a watering can without it. Slides through your hand as you tip; doesn't dig in or wobble during the pour
- Brass Sophie Conran maker's seal — the small detail at the top that distinguishes the piece from generic alternatives. Properly the kind of considered touch that makes a difference
Particularly good for
- Houseplant collectors — properly the right tool when you have more than a handful of indoor plants and the kitchen jug isn't going to cut it
- Apartment and flat dwellers — small enough to store, light enough to use anywhere
- Office plant managers — looks the part on a desk or shelf when not in use
- Conservatory and greenhouse growers — particularly useful for the indoor-greenhouse routine of watering many small pots
- Kitchen herb growers — precise watering for windowsill basil, parsley, chives, mint
- Orchid keepers — the narrow spout reaches into pot bottoms without disturbing aerial roots
- African violet enthusiasts — properly the right tool for plants that need water-from-below or careful crown-avoidance watering
- New plant parents — an affordable proper tool that makes daily plant care easier and more satisfying
- As a gift — properly considered Christmas, Valentine's, Mother's Day or birthday gift for the houseplant enthusiast in your life
How to use it properly
- Fill from the top opening — comfortably accommodates standard kitchen tap or jug filling
- Use room-temperature water — cold straight-from-tap water shocks tropical houseplant roots; let water sit for an hour or so before using if your plants are sensitive
- Direct the spout into the soil — not onto leaves; the narrow spout is designed for precision
- Water slowly — allow water to soak in before adding more; faster watering runs straight through to the drainage tray
- Empty after use — storing dry prevents mineral buildup at the spout
- Rinse occasionally — remove any limescale or sediment from the inside
Pair with a soil moisture meter
A properly considered watering can is most useful when you know when to water as well as how. Pair this with our soil moisture meter to take the guesswork out of watering. Overwatering is the single most common cause of houseplant death — the meter tells you when each plant actually needs the water this watering can delivers.
The Sophie Conran range
The Sophie Conran for Burgon & Ball range pairs the considered design aesthetic of Sophie Conran (Sir Terence Conran's daughter, with her own established furniture and homeware design practice) with the manufacturing pedigree of Burgon & Ball, Sheffield's oldest tool maker (established 1730). The collaboration produces tools that look as considered as they perform — properly the right combination of design and engineering.
Other pieces in the Sophie Conran range Bishy stocks include the Hand Trowel, Hand Fork, Hand Rake (a complete hand tool trio for £60), Dibber and Harvesting Basket — properly the considered upgrade across the whole hand-tool category.
Specifications
- Brand: Sophie Conran by Burgon & Ball
- Type: Indoor watering can with precision narrow spout
- Material: Powder-coated galvanised steel; brass Sophie Conran seal
- Colour: Tranquil pale blue
- Use: Indoor houseplant watering — precision spout for accurate pouring
- SKU: GSCICBLUE
- EAN: 5019360009443
- Made by: Burgon & Ball, Sheffield (established 1730)
- Designed by: Sophie Conran in partnership with Burgon & Ball
Where it fits in our range
The Indoor Watering Can pairs naturally with the rest of our Indoor Plant Care range:
- Soil Moisture Meter — for knowing when to water (overwatering is the #1 cause of houseplant death)
- Burgon & Ball Houseplant Pruner — the matching B&B Sheffield-made precision tool for houseplant maintenance
- Grow Gang Pianta and Stelo plant lights — for indoor plants in lower-light spots
- Ladybird Plant Care Slow Release Pearls — nutrition for potted houseplants
- Ladybird Plant Care Horticultural Soap — for aphid and whitefly issues on indoor plants
- Ladybird Plant Care Hypoaspis Mites — for fungus gnat control in soil
- Garland Tray Pots and Fibre Pots — for repotting and propagation
- Bishy microgreen and herb seeds — for indoor kitchen growing
- Dandy's Horticultural Grit — pot topper / drainage amendment
Together these properly cover the complete indoor plant care customer journey: lighting, nutrition, pest control, pruning, watering, propagation and seeds.
About Burgon & Ball
Burgon & Ball is Sheffield's oldest tool-making firm, established 1730. Nearly three centuries of unbroken tool manufacturing in the city historically synonymous with steel and quality cutlery. Their tools carry the RHS endorsement. The Sophie Conran range extends their traditional craftsmanship into considered contemporary design — the same Sheffield engineering principles, presented for a different market.
A small thought: a properly made watering can is one of those objects that ends up being used more often than you expected. Daily through summer, every few days through winter, hundreds of small pours over the years — and properly the kind of thing that gets more pleasing to use the longer you own it. The kind of small upgrade that quietly improves something you do anyway, every week, for as long as you have houseplants. Worth the upgrade from a plastic kitchen jug.
What's included
galvanised steel with brass Sophie Conran seal)
Care and use
- Rinse occasionally with clean water
- Wipe exterior with damp cloth
- Store dry to prevent rust at any chips in powder coating
- Avoid harsh detergents (preserves powder coat finish)
- Don't use for fertiliser solutions (residue affects finish)
- Don't drop or impact (powder coating can chip)