Make the most of your outdoors, indoors! A Garden Room gives you so much flexibility for outdoor living and entertaining allowing you somewhere to really appreciate the beauty of your garden whilst enjoying a cooling G&T or an afternoon tea, whatever the weather!
Blog
-
‘Celebrate Summer’ Feel Good Garden
The new Feel Good Garden is centred around celebrating the joy of long summer days and thoughts of the Mediterranean’s blue sea and sky. Launched ready for the summer months ahead, it evokes the senses and feelings of wellbeing – it will feel like you are on holiday!
The Feel Good Gardens can be viewed at The Gardener’s Garden Centre, Wych Cross and Potted Garden, please look out for the Feel Good Garden signage.
-
Charlie Dimmock & Coolings CEO, Gary Carvosso, Judging Bromley Floral Fest this weekend
Bromley Floral Fest is back! Colourful planters created by school children from 30 local primary schools will be on display in Bromley from Friday 24th May with judging taking place on Saturday 25th May.
The judging panel includes Charlie Dimmock, returning as an Expert Judge alongside Coolings Garden Centres’ CEO, Gary Carvosso.
In this year of sport, event organisers, Your Bromley, have challenged participating schools to think about the way sport and physical activity are embraced at their schools and to bring this to life through the design and planting of their display.
The planters will be arriving in Bromley, at a new location near Five Guys, during the day on Friday 24th May before the judging event takes place on Saturday 25th May.
This year’s judging panel includes celebrity gardener and Garden Rescue star, Charlie Dimmock, Coolings Garden Centre CEO, Gary Carvosso and his wife Andrea and Frances Forest, Your Bromley BID Manager.
The judges will select winners in four different categories:
- Most Creative – Best Use of Theme
- Best Use of Colour – Best Horticultural Display
The display will then remain on the High Street for a further week until Sunday 2nd June, giving visitors to the town plenty of opportunity to admire the colour and creativity and to choose their People’s Choice winner. The public vote will take place online at www.yourbromley.com/floralfest from 24th May until 3rd June.
Charlie Dimmock commented “I can’t wait to be back in Bromley to see the displays the schools create. They get more adventurous every year! I think it is fantastic that children get involved in gardening and growing and I hope that all the children taking part have enjoyed the project.”
Gary Carvosso is delighted to be involved once again and comments, “Coolings are so pleased to support local children and their schools. If children grow plants, particularly vegetables they are more likely to want to eat them. Gardening is so immensely good for well-being; it is fun and rewarding, as well as connecting us all to nature.”
Frances Forrest, BID manager, added, “We can’t wait to see the planters on display this year – seeing them arrive is one of the highlights of the year! The display brings smiles to passers by and we are wowed by the creativity and enthusiasm from participating schools every single year. We would also like to thank our partner, Coolings Garden Centre, for their continued support with this event.”
Judging panel Left to Right: Charlie Dimmock, Frances Forrest, Andrea Corvosso, Gary CorvossoThe amazing entries in 2023
For more information about Your Bromley, the Business Improvement District for Bromley Town Centre, visit www.yourbromley.com. Or contact Liz Barette on liz@yourbromley.com.
-
Summer Bedding Now In
We want to guarantee the best service for our customers, therefore we have created 5 of many reasons to buy from the Plant Experts at Coolings.
1 Plant Prices Held from 2022
We understand that many customers may be feeling the pinch and so we will be holding the majority of our plant prices at 2022 levels. We hope that this helps you to continue enjoying your garden and shopping at your local Coolings.
2 Seven Year Hardy Plant Guarantee
Your satisfaction and trust with the plants you have purchased is vital to us. We therefore guarantee all our hardy nursery stock for 5 years, extended to 7 years for Coolings Family Members.
3 Horticultural Qualified Staff
Our team of trained horticulturalists are on-hand to answer your questions and offer advice.
4 Home Grown on Our Nursery
Our Nursery produces over 200 varieties of roses, 300 kinds of shrubs, 600 types of herbaceous perennials, a vast range of trees and 80% of our bedding plants. Look out for annual Nursery tours in which you can see for yourself how it all comes together!
5 Widest Selection of Plants
We offer the widest selection of plants in the South East, with over three acres of display area at our centre in Knockholt alone!
We hope to welcome you to one of our centres soon!
-
Coolings In Bloom 2024
Whether you have been gardening for years or have just started, now’s the time to celebrate and showcase all your hard work with Coolings In Bloom!
In Bloom is a fun, free to enter competition, encouraging everyone from amateur gardeners to seasoned pros to showcase their gardening achievements. With categories ranging from individual pots to entire gardens, category winners are awarded prizes of Coolings Vouchers, and all entrants will receive a voucher to help you get started.
Supporting local councils and boroughs, the contest is aimed to showcase the green fingered skills of residents, businesses and communities.
Our team of friendly, supportive judges encourage you to celebrate your gardening achievements (big or small!) and showcase your work.
For full details and to enter Coolings In Bloom, click here
Good Luck!
Key dates:
Entries Open 1st April 2024.
All entry forms must be received by 30th June 2024
Judging will take place during July
An awards ceremony will be held in September 2024 at Coolings The Gardener’s Garden Centre, Knockholt
-
Easter 2024 Opening Hours
HAPPY EASTER FROM COOLINGS!
We look forward to welcoming you over the Easter period. Please find our Easter opening hours for all centres below…
Please note: For Coolings Family Members, enjoy a FREE Regular Hot Drink of your choice on all Spring Bank Holiday Mondays – 1st April, 6th May, 27th May (valid 8.30am – 9.30am) at all sites*. Just collect your voucher in-store on the day. If you are not a Coolings Family Member, you can sign-up in-store and receive the benefit straight away!
Coolings The Gardener’s Garden Centre:
🐣 Good Friday 29th March | 9:00am – 5:00pm
🐣 Saturday 30th March | 9:00am – 5:00pm
🐣 Easter Sunday 31st March | 9:00am – 4:30pm
🐣 Easter Monday 1st April | 8:30am – 5:00pm
Arthurs Restaurant: (Last Breakfast orders 11.15am, Lunch served 11.30am to 3.00pm daily)
🐣 Good Friday 29th March | 9:00am – 4:30pm
🐣 Saturday 30th March | 9:00am – 4:30pm
🐣 Easter Sunday 31st March | 9:00am – 4:00pm
🐣 Easter Monday 1st April | 8:30am – 4:30pm
Potted Garden Nursery:
🐣 Good Friday 29th March | 9:00am – 5:00pm
🐣 Saturday 30th March | 9:00am – 5:00pm
🐣 Easter Sunday 31st March | 9:00am – 4:30pm
🐣 Easter Monday 1st April | 8:30am – 5:00pm*
*There will be a refreshment kiosk on-site for Easter Monday and the Spring Bank Holiday Mondays to redeem drinks vouchers – limited selection of hot drinks will be available.
Coolings Lifestyle:
🐣 Good Friday 29th March | 9:00am – 5:00pm
🐣 Saturday 30th March | 9:00am – 5:00pm
🐣 Easter Sunday 31st March | Closed
🐣 Easter Monday 1st April | 8:30am – 5:00pm
Blueberry Café: (Last orders 4pm)
🐣 Good Friday 29th March | 9:00am – 4:30pm
🐣 Saturday 30th March | 9:00am – 4:30pm
🐣 Easter Sunday 31st March | Closed
🐣 Easter Monday 1st April | 8:30am – 4:30pm
Coolings Wych Cross:
🐣 Good Friday 29th March | 9:00am – 5:00pm
🐣 Saturday 30th March | 9:00am – 5:00pm
🐣 Easter Sunday 31st March | Closed
🐣 Easter Monday 1st April | 8:30am – 5:00pm
Hybrid Tea Room: (Last orders 4pm)
🐣 Good Friday 29th March | 9:00am – 4:30pm
🐣 Saturday 30th March | 9:00am – 4:30pm
🐣 Easter Sunday 31st March | Closed
🐣 Easter Monday 1st April | 8:30am – 4:30pm
-
Greenhouses Growing with Us!
The display models on show at Coolings The Gardener’s Garden Centre are The Saturn, Apollo and Neptune. Models are also on display at Coolings Wych Cross.
-
Spring Lawn Care Tips
As winter’s chill recedes, it’s time to get your lawn ready for spring.
Here’s a simple guide to help make your lawn look beautiful for the warmer months ahead.
- First, you need to aerate your lawn. This means making small holes with an aerator in the ground, to improve oxygen circulation and drainage. It helps the soil breathe and is good for the grass plants.
- Feeding the lawn with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer such as Vitax Organic Lawn Feed is crucial for stimulating robust growth. However, balance is key, as overfeeding can be harmful, making it essential to adhere to recommended guidelines and be careful not to use too much. Use of a lawn feed spreader such as the Westland Drop Spreader is thoroughly recommended.
- The onset of mowing is a delicate art in early spring. Starting with higher mower settings and gradually lowering them helps in nurturing the grass gently back to health, encouraging a thicker, healthier lawn without undue stress. Simultaneously, early spring presents a strategic opportunity for weed control. Whether by hand-weeding or using a lawn specific weed killer such as Weedol Lawn Weedkiller Concentrate, it’s best to address these intruders when they’re young and prevent them from overtaking the lawn later in the season.
- Areas thinned by winter can be revitalized through over-seeding. Choosing the right seed mix for the local environment (for instance, shady or wet area and whether you want a fine or general purpose lawn seed) and ensuring consistent moisture can transform sparse patches into vibrant grass. Westland Gro-Sure Smart Lawn Seed is a good general purpose seed, with a mix of seed, that will help to ensure its establishment in different lawn areas.
- As the season warms up, watering your lawn the right way is important. Instead of watering a little bit every day, it’s better to water deeply but less often. This helps the grass roots grow deep and strong.
- Keep an eye out for moss and bugs. If you see any, treat your lawn early before they spread. Early treatments using moss reducing products such as Viano MO Bacter Organic Lawn Fertiliser and Moss Killer and regular monitoring can prevent these issues from escalating, ensuring a healthy lawn.
- Finally, to complete your spring lawn care, the aesthetics of a lawn are heightened by neatly trimmed edges with a lawn edger, and by following these simple steps, you can have a beautiful, green lawn ready for the warmer months.
Coolings offers a professional Lawn Care Service, which can take care of all your lawn feeding and scarifying needs. Please call us on 01959 532269 for more information.
*Please note this service is only available to areas local to Coolings The Gardener’s Garden Centre, Sevenoaks.
Come and visit us in-store or online to find all of our Lawn Care range.
-
Plant Now for a Summer of Sensational Colour!
Summer flowering bulbs are available to purchase in-store and online now.
Bulbs are not just for spring! It’s a common misconception that we only get bulbs blooming in our gardens in spring, when in fact there is a whole host of beautiful blooms that are from summer bulbs.
Planting summer bulbs in the spring will ensure a blooming wonderful display of colour for you to sit back and enjoy during the summer months. With a little bit of planning, you will be rewarded with blooms from late spring right through to autumn. If you’d rather keep things simple, choose one type of bulb but stagger the planting times, adding more each month.
If you’re planting in borders, we recommend planting in groups of at least six for a good display of colour. Most bulbs are happy growing in containers, brightening up even the smallest of outdoor spaces.
There’s no set date that’s best for planting summer flowering bulbs but a general rule is once the soil has dried out and the risk of frost has passed. Alternatively, you can plant bulbs in containers now but keep them indoors until the weather warms up. Don’t forget to pick up a bulb planter, not only will it make the job easier and cleaner but a bulb planter will also ensure you’re planting each bulb at the correct depth.
We’ve listed some of our favourite summer flowering bulb categories below, along with their flowering month to make planning your summer colour spectacular a little easier.
Please note, we have a wide range of summer flowering bulbs at The Gardener’s Garden Centre, Wych Cross and Potted Garden only. The varieties listed below are available online, varieties in-store will vary in these sites and are subject to availability. Coolings Lifestyle does not stock summer flowering bulbs.
- Originating from South Africa, Agapanthus are free flowering, with loose clusters of flowers in rich intense blue, white or with some varieties a mix of the two colours. The gorgeous trumpet-shaped blooms sit atop slender stalks, with arching, broad strap-shaped foliage at the base. Spectacular when planted in bigger swathes.
- Long flowering period.
- Flowers June/July through the summer.
Pictured: Taylors Agapanthus Dr Brouwer (250478) £2.99
- Crocosmia are multi flowered perennials that come in a range of fiery colours.
- Easy to grow, thrive in a range of soil types and will grow in sun or partial shade.
- Flower all summer long.
Pictured: Taylors Crocosmia ‘Emily Mckenzie’ (222668) £3.99
- Dahlias are grown from tubers.
- Famous for their impressive blooms in a variety of vivid colours and different bloom types, dahlias are unrivalled for giving a showy display. Try growing in rows to give lots of cut flowers for your home.
- Flowers from mid-July through to autumn.
Pictured: Kapiteyn Dahlia ‘Crazy Love’ (217950) £3.99
- Scent, scale and drama! Available in a range of types and sizes, they make a stunning focal point and exude a timeless charm with delicate petals and captivating colours.
- Flowers from early summer to autumn.
Pictured: Simple Pleasures Lilium ‘Monte Negro’ (306521) £4.49
- Create a taste of the tropics with Canna. With flashy blooms and dramatic foliage, Canna are dramatic and eye-catching. Tender perennials that produce bold leaves and flowers in reds, yellows, oranges and pinks.
- Technically, the roots of cannas are rhizomes, but they are commonly referred to as bulbs because the root structure closely resembles that of a classic plant bulb. Can grow up to 6ft.
- Flowers throughout the season – June to October.
Pictured: Taylors Canna Sol Happy Carmen (292517) £3.99
- Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, bears arching racemes of bell-shaped, white flowers with an extremely rich perfume, from late spring.
- Planting period: May – September.
- Place in well drained soil. Dappled shade to full sun.
- Makes an excellent cut flower.
- Flowers May – July.
Pictured: Prins Convallaria Lily of the Valley (257548) £3.99
7. Gladiolus
- Flowering plants part of the iris family. It is sometimes called the ‘sword lily’.
- Tall stalks of trumpet-shaped blooms that fill gardens in summer with an array of beautiful, bright colours.
- Make beautiful cut flowers with their velvety petals.
- Attract lots of pollinators like bees and butterflies to your garden.
- They can grow up to 1.8 metres tall so best placed in the middle of your borders.
- Flowers July – September.
Pictured: Prins Gladioli Giant Flowering Mixed (278414) £3.99
- The flowers stand up to the weather really well which is why they have become a favourite of parks departments over the years.
- You can start the corms off indoors as early as February.
- Begonias put on a stunning show in beds, pots and hanging baskets.
- Flower from June then throughout the summer.
- Although technically Nerines are late summer flowering members of the Amaryllis family, we thought they were too beautiful to leave out! ‘Firework’ shape blooms that come in vibrant and pastel colours, provide effortless colour! Showy blooms come in shades of pink, red and white.
- Patience maybe required as Nerines do not always flower in their first year after planting.
- Flowers late-summer and lasts into the autumn – with a long flowering period.
Pictured: Nerine bowdenii (250468) £4.99
- We love these summer flowering bulb pre-packed colour themes. Combinations of bulbs in themed colours ideal for attracting bees and butterflies.
- Available in salmon & orange, red & white, and white & blue. Priced at £14.99 each.
- Flower July to October.
Pictured: Kapiteyn Blooms Bees Butterflies Garden Violet-Pink (228956) £14.99
-
GCA Garden Centre of Excellence Award
Top Award and Accolades for Coolings Garden Centres in the 2024 GCA Annual AwardsThe UK’s Best Garden Centres were revealed at this year’s GCA Conference. In a prestigious award’s ceremony, held on 29th January, at the Cotswold Water Park, the country’s leading garden centres were in attendance all hoping to win a top accolade.
Coolings Garden Centres had an outstanding evening!
Coolings The Gardener’s Garden Centre in Knockholt, was awarded one of the most prestigious awards, a Garden Centre of Excellence 2023 Award. This award places us within the top 10 out of 200 for all GCA garden centres in the UK.
Not only did we pick up this award, but we are delighted to announce three more massive victories, as finalists in the following categories…
- 2nd Place – Best Garden Centre – Coolings Wych Cross
- 5th Place – Best Plant Area – Coolings Wych Cross
- 6th Place – Best Destination Garden Centre Plant Area – Coolings The Gardener’s Garden Centre
Coolings Managing Director, Dwayne Ross, and members of the team were at the ceremony to receive the accolade.Dwayne Ross comments, “Winning the Excellence Award and being finalists in a number of other Award categories this evening, is thanks to all the team at Coolings, every single person has put in such hard work in the last year to allow us to get to this level and I’m very proud that these high standards are then seen and felt by our customers, not just at The Gardener’s Garden Centre, but across all 4 of our centres”.
The awards are presented to the centres that the GCA deem to demonstrate immense dedication, hard work and enthusiasm in what they do on a day-to-day basis.
Over the course of a year, the GCA undertake an intensive audit, with no prior notice, recording scores from over 200 garden centres across the UK, so standards have to be maintained throughout the year to win one of these prestigious awards.