Walking the aisles at a home improvement store last week, I noticed the marked difference between the quality of components and parts for irrigation systems and lights. While they may be cheaper, the parts aren’t nearly the same quality as those we install in our landscapes.

Fortunately, the easy solution is to shop at an irrigation specialty store, such as Horizon or Ewing. Both have a comprehensive selection of irrigation, landscape and lighting equipment. They also have professional expertise to help with projects, which you won’t find at a big box store. Both vendors also have great websites where you can browse and even shop online.