I have two large perennial gardens to water,which i do by hand. But it is asking a lot of my neighbor to stand out there and hand water for over an hour. I'd like to buy a sprinkler that is at least 4-5 fee high (so the small shrubs don't block the spray pattern) for my neighbor to use when i am out of town. Gilmor, RainBird and Nelson make something like this, I believe, but the Nelson one has gotten bad reviews. I'd love to hear anyone's experience or suggestion for one brand or model over another. Or, if you jury-rigged your own system, how you did that.
Thanks for any suggestions!

Me, I love soaker hoses, on a timer. Super easy to set up, pretty cheap, and easy to find.

The drip emitters use even less water, but need a bit more know-how to set up right.

I use soaker hoses too. I don't use a timer but it would be real easy to add one if I wanted to.

Yeah, I think soaker hoses are better too, needing time to set-up, and then very little attention. My neighbor rigged his own set-up using several poles tied in a tri-pod formation and "zip-tied" a sprinkler to it. I'm quite sure if you spent an hour in your garden with a few materials and your hose/sprinkler, you'll be able to come up with something that works.

denverwoman, if your perennial beds are anything like mine now,most everything is either full grown or nearly there. So, unfortunately, winding and wrapping soaker hoses in dense perennial beds that aren't designed on a grid as most veggie gardens are (been there/done that) is near impossible and almost assuredly will damage plants. At the very least, it'll definitely break stems in the process.

Some of my beds are pre-lined w/soakers. But for those that aren't, and toting watering cans from the rainbarrel just won't do it, or standing in 90+ degree heat w/the watering wand is sheer suicide.....I gerry-rig an oscillating sprinkler twist-tied to an old tomato cage. I can then insert the tines into the middle of a bed if need be. It raises it just enough so that the full force of one pass of the sprinkler won't knock down or decapitate any of the taller perennials. I set it up in the evening and DH turns it on when he leaves for work around 5:30am. I'm usually up an hour or so later and turn it off then.

You might trying to do something similar. Position the sprinkler how you want it and just advise whoever cares for your garden in you're absence to just turn on the water and when to turn it off. Better yet, invest in a timer which will turn on and off at a set time.

What Gardenz said

Soakers are real nice, but just for an occasional deal like going on vacation...any sprinkler should work. Just make sure it's planted firmly in the ground so it doesn't tip over.