THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED
January. Not the most inspiring month, is it? Short, cold days and every shade of inclement weather you can think of. But for gardeners, it’s a great time for all sorts of important groundwork, a chance to get ready for the gardening season ahead.
A key job in late winter and early spring is pruning, whether that’s roses (you can read our guide to pruning shrub roses here), late summer (Group 3) clematis, autumn-fruiting raspberries, apple and pear trees, fruit bushes… the list goes on. Winter pruning avoids shrubs outgrowing their space, and keeps edible plants productive.
But it has to be said that the weather in winter isn’t always the most tempting, when it comes to getting outside. To help make tackling your pruning jobs a little more appealing his winter, we have a bundle of pruning tools to give away, together with a cosy new pair of boots from Muck.

Muck, glorious muck
Muck Boots were founded, as the name suggests, to tackle the universal problem of, well, muck. Wet, messy, muddy, dirty muck. The boots are made with premium neoprene and rubber, designed to brave every element, and are totally waterproof, right to the top.
Like us, Muck Boots is an RHS licensee, producing the only gardening footwear endorsed by the RHS. Muck’s RHS Muckster II design is ideal for slipping on and off with ease, and the sole, while giving plenty of grip, isn’t so deeply ridged that it will damage your lawn.
Muck also offers heavier-duty designs like the Chore, Arctic Sport and Muckmaster, ideal for when the going gets really tough. If you’re our lucky winner, you can take your pick from the Muck range.
Perfect pruning
On the tools front, our pruning bundle consists of:
1. RHS-endorsed rose pruner (pic at top of page). This bypass-action secateur has a clever cut-and-hold action. It grips the cut stem after you’ve made the cut, so you can deposit it safely in barrow or bin without having to touch it. It’s also useful for tackling brambles, or for cutting plants with irritant sap, like rue and euphorbia.
2. RHS-endorsed pruning saw. This small-but-mighty saw gives you the cutting power of a bow saw, in your pocket. The patented tooth design has three cutting faces per tooth, which gives incredibly rapid cutting performance. It’s designed to work primarily on the pull stroke, so it’s excellent for overhead work.
3. Corona Max Forged Convertible Branch & Stem Pruner (pic below). This innovative tool is from our US sister company Corona Tools, and it’s a bit of a game-changer when it comes to pruning. Fully forged in high-carbon steel, this bypass-action pruner has handles which easily fold out to convert it from single-handed to two-handed use when needed. It’s a pruner and a mini lopper in one, for that bit of extra cutting power when you need it. Easily cutting stems and small branches up to 3cm in diameter, it has a lifetime warranty.
Together the tools tot up to a value of £102, and of course it depends which boots you pick, but in total it's a prize which could easily be worth over £200!
Wouldn't that tempt you to get outside and get pruning?

How to enter
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED
To win this brilliant bundle of boots and pruning tools, simply leave a comment on this blog. Scroll to the bottom of this page to comment (your email address won't be published). You could tell us what plants you'll be pruning, which boots you'd like - or just tell us your favourite rose! You’ll also need to be a subscriber to our monthly email newsletter to be a winner, so if you're not already signed up, fill in your email address in the grey band right at the bottom of this page. It’s easy to unsubscribe at any time if you don’t enjoy our monthly updates.
The small print
Muck Boots prize draw, 2023
This giveaway is open to UK residents over the age of 18 only. No purchase necessary. No cash alternative is available. The winner will be chosen at random and the judges’ decision will be final. One winner will receive: one pair of boots of their choice from the Muck Boots UK website at www.muckbootcompany.co.uk; one Burgon & Ball RHS-endorsed rose pruner; one Burgon & Ball RHS-endorsed folding pruning saw; one Corona Max Forged Convertible Branch & Stem Pruner. Prize draw opens at 00:01 on 26/01/2023 and closes at 23:59 on 05/02/2023. Winner will be contacted by Burgon & Ball shortly after the closing date. Employees of Burgon & Ball and their family members aren’t eligible to win. One entry per person; entries created by a bot or a service that automatically enters participants are not eligible to win. We draw your attention to our privacy policy here.
GOOD LUCK!

I’d love a funky pair of mucksters to keep my feet warm n cozy whilst pruning…anything from Viburnum Dawn to Fruit trees to smaller bushes or clematis and roses..it’s got to be classic Arthur Bell ..fantastic scent and colour climbing up up up. Simply gorgeous. Thank you
We’ve a small pear tree to move and a tree surgeon has advised to do it during the winter, that’s a challenge in this weather the ground is either frozen or saturated either way I think the RHS muckster II in the night floral print would be just perfect to wear!
I have various types of hydrangeas to prune plus a lot of roses and many other shrubs including 8 clematis, phew worn out just thinking about it I will be fine once I start as long as I read how and when
Love pruning roses. Have lots on my allotment as well as at home. Eye of the Tiger is a favourite. Also enjoy pruning of our fruit trees and bushes. Got several including a medlar. Beautiful bark.
Would love to win a pair of the rhs musker for a dear friend of ours, we have a large selection of herbaceous which we leave till the spring and roses all nearly ready for pruning my favourite rose is a one off floribunda named after my partner Tom Williamson which gets carefully prunning every year