Burgon & Ball BoronGreen Hand Trowel (RHS Endorsed)

• Boron steel construction — stronger and tougher than standard carbon steel. Resists bending and snapping under load, holds an edge longer, and stays light enough to handle comfortably all day
• 80% recycled steel content — meaningful sustainability built into the source material, without compromising performance. For a tool you'll keep for 25 years, that's a properly considered choice
• Wide deep-dish blade — generous capacity per scoop reduces the number of trips to and from the compost bag
• Sharpened edges — slice cleanly into compacted ground rather than just pushing through it
• Precision-forged neck at an ergonomic angle — supports natural hand position, reducing strain during extended use
• Distinctive green powder-coated finish — protects against rust and (usefully) makes the trowel easier to spot when you've put it down in a planted bed
• FSC-certified white ash handle — strong, shock-absorbing, with the dark wood inlay and Burgon & Ball ampersand finishing detail

For the technical case for boron steel and the BoronGreen sustainability story in more detail, our BoronGreen Mid-Handled Trowel, Block Paving Knife and Claw Cultivator listings cover the same engineering — these tools are properly thought through.

We stock both versions of this trowel — same blade, same boron steel, same handle material, same guarantee. The only difference is handle length. Honest guidance:

• Standard hand trowel (this one) — the everyday workhorse. Short-handled, fits in a basket or a coat pocket, comfortable for kneeling work in front of you. The trowel that lives on the bench by the back door
• Mid-handled trowel — the upgrade for specific situations. Extra reach for the back of deep borders, raised bed work, deeper container planting, and anywhere reducing the bend angle makes longer sessions sustainable

Most gardeners are best served by the standard hand trowel as their primary tool. The mid-handled version is genuinely better for raised beds, back-of-border work, and for anyone managing back stiffness or older joints — but it's not the everyday default. If you're upgrading from cheap kit and buying just one, start here.

Some gardeners eventually own both, and find themselves reaching for whichever suits the morning's work. That's the honest case for owning two — but if you're starting with one, this is the one.

• Planting bulbs, bedding plants and vegetable seedlings — quick, clean digging holes
• Backfilling holes and moving compost — generous capacity per scoop
• Container and pot work — the standard length suits most pots and barrels
• Lifting smaller weeds — sharpened edges cut through small roots cleanly
• Working compost into beds — incorporating top-dressed material into upper soil
• Pricking out and transplanting — gentle work amongst seedlings

• Range: Burgon & Ball BoronGreen
• Blade: Boron steel, wide deep-dish design with sharpened edges
• Recycled content: 80% recycled steel
• Neck: Precision-forged at ergonomic angle, with higher-carbon steel for strength at the stress point
• Finish: Distinctive green powder-coated
• Handle: FSC-certified white ash with dark inlay featuring the Burgon & Ball ampersand
• Length: Standard hand trowel
• Storage: Twisted paper hanging cord
• Endorsement: Royal Horticultural Society approved
• Guarantee: 25 years
• Made by: Burgon & Ball, Sheffield (since 1730)
• Supplied through: AllotMate

• Wipe the head clean after each use, particularly after damp or sappy work
• Dry properly before hanging — the powder-coated finish resists rust well, but appreciates not being stored wet
• The ash handle can be lightly oiled with linseed oil once or twice a year to keep it conditioned
• Hang from the paper cord rather than leaving the trowel on the ground
• Sharpen the blade as needed — boron steel takes a sharpening stone well, though it'll go far longer between sharpenings than equivalent carbon steel
• Avoid using as a lever — for prising stones or stumps, use a proper crowbar or border spade

Treated this way, this isn't a tool you replace. It's a tool you eventually hand on.

Premium hand tools make particularly thoughtful gifts because they're often the kind of thing people are reluctant to buy for themselves. Particularly suited to:

• A gardener upgrading their kit — replacing a series of cheap trowels with one good one
• A new gardener with serious intent — investing in something they'll have for decades
• Sustainability-minded gardeners — the recycled-steel head gives a properly meaningful eco credential
• Mother's Day, birthdays, Christmas — premium-feeling kit at a sensible gift price
• Pair with our other Burgon & Ball workwear tools — Compost Scoop, Dibber, Mid-Handled Fork, BoronGreen Cultivator or Block Paving Knife — for a fuller cottage gardener's hand-tool gift

Burgon & Ball have been making garden tools in Sheffield since 1730, drawing on the city's centuries-old expertise in steel. They hold the official Royal Horticultural Society endorsement