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Category: Plants

  • Gardening for Wellbeing

    Gardening is also good for our mental health. Even something as simple as having a plant on your windowsill or desk can reduce stress, make you feel more energized and able to think clearly. People suffering from anxiety or depression have found gardening and caring for plants to be incredibly beneficial. So good in fact that some GPs have even started writing prescriptions for gardening! The benefits can be as varied as reduced stress to increased fitness and improved vitamin D levels.

    Gardening health benefits can include heart health, better sleep, improved hand strength and the financial benefits of gardening include growing your own vegetables and cut flowers, getting creative with plants to decorate and dress your home and a nice garden can increase the value of your home by up to 20%.

    If you need any more encouragement to get out in the garden this spring, gardening is also good for the planet. Think of the environmental impact of homegrown fruit, vegetables and flowers versus those flown halfway round the world. As well as the reduction in plastic consumption, grown at home you can be certain of just how many (or how few) pesticides and herbicides have been used in their production.

    Some excellent varieties of fruit cannot be grown for commercial use as they don’t, for example, travel or keep well, but all the better for home gardeners!

    How much nicer is a home-grown bunch of flowers than something picked up in a hurry from a supermarket? Or a pot of plants lovingly tended for months before being gifted? And they’re cheaper too…

    Choosing plants that are grown locally also help to reduce environmental impact. We grow most of our plants on-site and use other local nurseries for specimen or unusual plants.

    Gardening can be great for wildlife

    Our gardens are a vital home for wildlife and many species really need our help if they are to survive. But attracting wildlife to your garden is easy and enormously rewarding. A pond is a great place to start but even bird feeders, a bird bath or bird box will have a positive effect. Plant lots of colourful flowers and watch the bees and butterflies come flying in.

    Bring the Outdoors In with Houseplants

    You can still experience the benefits of nature when it’s too cold for a stroll around the garden by having houseplants.

    Shades of green are recognised as being restful, so introducing houseplants to your home can help ease stresses and boost mental wellbeing. As well as looking good, houseplants also improve air quality by trapping and capturing pollutants, allowing you to breathe in cleaner air.

    Visit our shop for gardening tools and sundries, seeds, houseplants, bird care and lawncare. We stock everything you need for your garden.

     

  • Moroccan Mood!

    Osteospermum ‘Blushing Beauty’

    If you’re looking for vibrant colour, look no further than this exuberant Osteospermum. With its yellow and pink flowers it brings an exotic touch to the garden and makes an impressive duo with Osteospermum ‘Blue Eyed Beauty’.

    Osteospermum ‘Blue Eyed Beauty’

    From early summer to mid-Autumn, this cheerful and hardy perennial will produce yellow daisy-like flowers. Sun loving ‘Blue Eyed Beauty’ is ideal for border fronts or containers, adding a spray of colour to the garden.

    Pelargonium zonale classic ‘Grand Prix’

    Beautiful rich red blooms are displayed on this vigorously performing, sun-loving geranium. It impresses in flowerbeds or containers, flowering prolifically throughout Summer.

    Verbena ‘Empress Flair Red’

    This perennial blooms energetically throughout summer with wonderful star-shaped red flowers. It makes for an excellent ground cover plant and also works well in baskets due to its trailing habit. Deadhead when necessary to help further flowering late into the season.

    Diascia ‘Breezee Plus Apricot’

    Ideal for borders or pots, this compact semi-evergreen perennial produces a profusion of apricot coloured flowers from May to October, which contrast beautifully against its dark-green leaves. An excellent choice for baskets and pots.

    Calibrachoa Can Can ‘Orange’

    Easy to grow and long-flowering, with beautiful marmalade colour petals. It makes particular impact in baskets or pots, where its bright trailing style gives an exuberant display. For more Moroccan tones, look out for Calibrachoa Can Can ‘Sunrise’ and Calibrachoa Double Can Can ‘Apricot’.

    New! Bidens ‘Blazing Fire’

    This bright and compact newcomer is a stunner with its paint dipped effect; eye-catching yellow flowers, tipped with orange. It flowers abundantly, making it an ideal choice for containers or borders where it will add a bright touch.

    Gazania ‘Sunbathers Totonaca’

    With wide luxurious red and yellow flowers, ‘Sunbathers Totonaca’ is an impressive addition to the garden and is a long bloomer, providing interest throughout the Summer. It makes an excellent cut flower and is also tolerant to coastal conditions.

    Helianthus Sunbelievable ‘Brown-Eyed-Girl’

    Chelsea Flower Show’s 2018 Bronze medal for Plant of the Year, this Sunflower is a prolific flowerer and can produce over a thousand flowers during growing season. Bright and cheerful, it will drench your garden in magnificent sunshine yellow.

    Mini Trailing Petunias

    Easy to grow and long-flowering, with beautiful marmalade colour petals. These make a particular impact in baskets or pots, where its bright trailing style gives an exuberant display.

  • Create Your Own Cottage Garden

    Geranium clarkei ‘Kashmir Purple’

    ‘Kashmir Purple’ is an ideal ground cover plant, as well as being a cottage garden classic. It flowers from June through to September and its pretty purple colour will complement neighbouring white and pink flowers. It is sure to attract a buzz as it is loved by bees.

    Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’

    This pretty perennial is perfect for cottage gardens. It’s grey-green foliage and profusions of violet-blue flowers make it an attractive choice. Loved by bees, ‘Six Hills Giant’ will flood the garden with vibrant colour.

    Lythrum virgatum ‘The Rocket’

    ‘The Rocket’ is a vigorous herbaceous perennial, which displays racemes of bright pink flowers from early Summer through to early Autumn. It likes to make its mark on the garden, so deadhead to prevent further seeding.

    Agastache foeniculum ‘Blackadder’

    With its spiky texture and bold colour, ‘Blackadder’ has a striking presence in the cottage garden. Its violet-blue flowers last from mid-Summer to Autumn and its height makes it a bold statement in any company.

    Salvia nemorosa ‘Blue Marvel’

    Winner of the HTA’s Best in Show 2016, this extraordinary Salvia is known for its rich blue blossoms, which are the largest of all the Salvia nemorosa species. It likes full sun and is a magnet for butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds!

    Verbascum ‘Cotswold Queen’

    Perfect for adding height and structure to a cottage garden, ‘Cotswold Queen’ is a robust Verbascum, flowering from early to mid-Summer. Its bright yellow flowers have a pinkish-purple eye and make it a noticeable presence in the garden.

    Digitalis x valinii ‘Firebird’

    This new Digitalis produces large spikes of copper pink, orangey flowers throughout Summer. Awarded second place by the RHS in its 2016 Plant of the Year competition, this is a distinctive and unusual choice for a cottage garden.

    Silene dioica ‘Rollie’s Favorite’

    ‘Rollie’s Favourite’ is an eye-catching and compact choice, which produces bundles of pink flowers in late Spring and early Summer. It works well as ground cover plant but also has a slight trailing habit, allowing it to work well along paths or steps.

     

     

  • Shabby Chic for Spring

    Allium ‘Mount Everest’

    These statuesque flowers (growing to 90-100cm) and are a firm favourite and look stunning soaring up the back of a border. Alliums are an ideal choice for adding the wow factor to the garden.

    Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’

    This Dicentra is a shade lover, making it ideal for a mixed border in a shady area. It has arching wands of pretty heart-shaped white flowers which will brighten up any dull corner.

    Brunnera macrophylla ‘Betty Bowring’

    ‘Betty Bowring’ produces sprays of pure white forget-me-not like flowers. These flowers are numerous in April and May and will add a clean, white touch to a shady garden space.

    Scabious ‘Kudos White’

    This large flowering Scabious is a great garden addition. It is ideal for attracting wildlife to the garden as it is loved by bees. With regular deadheading, the show will keep on going.

    Aquilegia ‘Dove’

    This iconic cottage garden plant is eye-catching when grown underneath shrubs and roses and as an added bonus, is fairly undemanding. Flowering from early Summer, it produces large and elegant flowers.

    Bergenia ‘Bressingham White’

    ‘Bressingham White’ produces masses of pretty and pristine white flowers, which bloom in early Spring. This easy-to-grow, evergreen perennial will be happy in sun or shade.

    Pulmonaria ‘Sissinghurst White’

    AGM winning with mottled leaves, this Pulmonaria is a reliable performer and has fantastic disease and pest resilience. Its pretty funnel-shaped white flowers are ideal for a Shabby Chic touch.

    Dianthus ‘Memories’

    This compact Dianthus has brilliant pure white double flowers, which are real eye-catchers. It has a interesting spicy scent, making it the perfect plant choice for entertaining areas and entrance ways.

     

  • Multisensory Gardening

    Choose scented plants to add smell to your garden. These are best placed in sheltered areas as this contains the fragrances better and will allow them to be enjoyed more.

    NEW Clematis ‘Sugar Sweet’
    The firstly truly scented large flowered clematis, with beautiful almond fragranced flowers. Available from Coolings for the first time this Spring.

    Lavender ‘Ashdown Forest’
    A superb variety with lovely scented flowers and foliage. Perfect for celebrating our new site at Wych Cross.

     

    Plants with interesting textures are ideal garden choices for those living with sight impairment. They also go down particularly well with little ones who like to investigate their surroundings.

    Senecio ‘Angels Wings’
    This stunning recent introduction has tactile silky silver foliage. Works well in containers and is impressive on a patio.

    Griselinia littoralis
    Silky soft glossy foliage makes this popular choice the perfect evergreen screening plant.

     

    Edible plants are useful to grow for kitchen use or enjoyment, as well as many of them bringing extra colour to the garden.

    Nasturtiums Jewel Mix
    Both ornamental and edible, the flowers have a peppery taste.

    Strawberries
    A fruity classic, we have a selection of delicious and easy to grow varieties available this Spring.

     

    Sound can produce an extra dimension to a sensory garden. Bamboo and grasses are ideal for creating some plant-based audio, along with adding water features or bird baths.

    Fargesia nitidia ‘Black Pearl’
    This is an amazing clump forming bamboo with attractive dark canes, ideal for containers and smaller gardens. The breeze moving through the foliage will create a relaxing rustling sound.

     

    You can find out more about Kent Association for the Blind and their work on their website at www.kab.org.uk

  • Early Risers

    Clematis armandii ‘Snowdrift’

    This vigorous evergreen climber is covered with clusters of perfumed star-shaped white flowers in March. Avoid exposed areas for best growth.

    Clematis montana ‘Fragrant Spring’

    With attractive light pink flowers and a lovely vanilla scent, this is an ideal climber to cloak a fence or scramble through a tree.

    Clematis ‘Early Sensation’

    Ideal for a sheltered location, this lovely climber has attractive evergreen foliage and beautiful white flowers. When grown alongside Clematis Avalanche for pollination it also produces the added bonus amazing ornamental seed heads!

    Clematis alpina ‘Willy’

    This late spring flowering Clematis is a cheeky climber with nodding pink bell shaped flowers. Ideal for growing up trellis or an archway.

    Clematis macropetala ‘Blue Lagoon’

    Semi-double blue flowers with silvery seed heads make this tough and slender climber an attractive choice. Idea for tumbling over a garden fence or wall.

    Clematis alpine ‘Constance’

    This medium-sized climber produces beautiful bright pink and white flowers in Spring and has a RHS Award of Garden Merit.

    Clematis ‘Korean Brunette’

    A deciduous climber producing dramatic purple-red bell shaped flowers. A versatile plant which is loved by bees and butterflies.

     

    Obelisks and arches are ideal homes for your climbing Clematises to flourish and can also add attractive structure to your garden. Here are a few choices to give you some garden inspiration.

    Tom Chambers Nostell Obelisk – prices beginning at £24.99

    This detailed contemporary obelisk comes in three sizes.

    Tom Chambers Priory Obelisk – £24.99

    The decorative Priory obelisk is a classic choice, standing at 1.7m tall.

    Panacea Arched Top Arch

    This pretty arch can add structure to your garden. This Arched Top Arch costs £69.99

  • Spring Flowering Bulbs – NOW IN!

    Bulbs provide great colour and structure to your garden.  Try some of these beauties to fill your garden with colour come spring…

    New for 2019:

    Tulip ‘Shirley Double’
    This is a classic tulip variety, with ivory white flowers and a delicate purple margin that spreads as the plant matures to become a pink blush across the flower.  To produce a spectacular spring display, why not plant alongside pure purple varieties, or pair with pale pinks, yellows and peachy shades.  Perfect for patio containers, garden borders or used as cut flowers in a vase.

    Tulip ‘Foxy Foxtrot’
    The unique shades of apricot and yellow contrast well with the bright green stems.  This variety works well when planted with pink varieties. Great planting in the garden border, patio containers or even as a cut flower display to be enjoyed within the home.

    Alliums
    This bulb variety is easy to grow and an excllent choice for adding height and structure to your beds and borders.  We have over 20 varieties of Alliums to choose from to create that ‘WOW’ factor.

     

    Oldies but goodies…

    Narcissus ‘Thalia’
    One of our all time favourites is Narcissus ‘Thalia’, with its dainty pure white nodding heads which last well.

    Tulip ‘Casa Grande’
    The stunning large flowered, scarlet Tulip ‘Casa Grande’ makes a distinctive powerful coloured display.

    Tulip ‘Synaeda Amour’ with ‘Muscari Arnaenicum’
    Underplanting tulips with other bulb combination work really well and we particularly love this combo…

    Tulip ‘Ballerina’
    This is a dainty lily flowered Tulip with a lovely scent.

    Narcissus ‘Thalia’, Tulip ‘Princess Irene’, Hyacinth ‘Pink Pearl’ and ‘Peter Stuyvesant’
    A lovely combination with Hyacinths giving a powerful perfume.

    Tulip ‘Queen of the Night’
    This is an all time favourite, superb dark maroon black flowers giving a sophisticated look to your display.

    Tulip ‘Estella Rijnveld’
    A popular parrot Tulip with feathery red/white flowers, looks stunning in a vase.

    Tulip ‘La Belle Epoque’
    An unusual creamy caramel pink colour, very dramatic when fully opened.

    Tulip ‘El Nino’
    This is a bold Tulip in every sense, large lily flowered, no two flowers are the same – some speckled, some quite orange.  Carried on tall strong stems, when the flowers open they are iridescent.

    Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’
    A delicate dwarf Iris with exquisitely marked petals.

    Fritillaria ‘Aurora’
    Makes an imposing statement piece.  Great to plant at the back of borders.

  • In Bloom 2019 – Winners Announced…

    As devoted supporters of local community projects, including ‘In Bloom’, since the 1970s, Coolings are excited, to be engaging local residents with the joy of gardening and supporting the essence of the competition, which is to help transform areas into better places to live and work, and to make residents, businesses and communities proud of their town.

    2019 IN BLOOM WINNERS AND RUNNERS UP

    Thank you to everyone that entered, and a heartfelt congratulations to all the winners.  It is always a joy seeing all your lovely hard work.

     

  • Celebrity Gardening Trio Coming to Coolings on the 5th September!

    Do you have a love of bulbs?

    Then you will love our special guest and career horticulturist, Steve Bradley MHort (RHS) who will be here at Coolings as part of our ‘Trio of Gardening Greats’ Day on Thursday 5th September.

    Steve will cover just about everything you can think of to do with bulbs!  He’ll talk about his favourite combinations and varieties, offer tips on planting, layering and caring for your bulbs.

    You may recognise Steve from one of his many TV appearances during his early career or from one of his books, magazine articles and support booklets for the BBC series ‘Ground Force’.  Steve and wife Val (also a qualified horticulturist) have written over 50 gardening books between them.  More recently, you may have heard Steve on BBC Radio Kent answering live questions on a Sunday morning or read his gardening column in the Sun newspaper every Saturday.

    Are you an organic gardener?  Do you love roses? 

    Then you’ll want to hear what award-winning garden writer, Val Bourne has to say.  Val will also be here on the 5thSeptember to talk about her top ten roses, how she uses them in planting and the perfect companion plants for roses.

    As a committed organic gardener all her life, Val has to choose roses very carefully because they have to be healthy, vigorous and disease-free.  We look forward to hearing about her fantastic experience with roses that are all grown in her Cotswolds garden at Spring Cottage.   Aside from her love of growing roses, Val also writes for many publications including The Daily Telegraph and the Hardy Plant Society Journal.

     

    Keen to know the secrets of successful gardening?  

    Well who better to hear them from than writer and broadcaster Peter Seabrook MBE.   Peter has presented gardening programmes on BBC 1 and BBC 2 including Gardeners World, Pebble Mill at One and RHS Chelsea Flower Show and has been the Gardening Editor for The Sun newspaper for over 40 years.  Peter will draw on his life long experience in growing plants to let us in on some of his secrets!

     

    Tickets for each one-hour session are only £7.50 per person (we are offering two sessions for £12).

    Tea, coffee and water refreshments are available and included in the ticket price.

     

    Timings and booking for talks:

    • Steve Bradley MHort (RHS) with ‘Making the Most of Bulbs’ will be talking from 11am – 12pm followed by questions and answers. Book Here.
    • Val Bourne with ‘My Favourite Bomb-Proof Roses’ will be talking from 2pm – 3pm – followed by questions and answers.  Book Here.
    • Peter Seabrook MBE with ‘A Lifetime of Growing Plants’ will be talking from 6.30pm – 7.30pm – followed by questions and answers.  Book Here.

    If you would like to take advantage of our ‘2 Sessions for £12’ offer please book here.

     

    Arthurs will be open as usual from 9am, serving our summer menu (breakfast 9-11am/lunch11.30am – 3pm) with scones, cakes & pastries from our bakery.

    The garden centre and shop will be open to evening session ticket holders for after-=hours plant sales from 5pm until 6.15pm.

    Dining for evening/afternoon session ticket holders …

    We are also offering a dinner menu for those attending Peter Seabrook’s talk.  The dinner menu will be available between 4-5.30pm and must be pre-booked (Arthurs will remain open until 6pm for tea/coffee and cakes).  To book your table, contact the restaurant team on 01959 532269.

    Don’t forget you can also pre-book an afternoon tea between 2.30-4pm, which may be a good choice if you are planning on attending the afternoon session (01959 532269).

  • Allotment Gardening – the benefits of growing your own

    Benefits of owning an Allotment?
    Well, where to start?  As we have found out recently with the opening of our Plot to Plate greenhouse, growing your own is a very rewarding hobby.  It is so satisfying seeing and tasting the fruits of your labour served on a plate. Allotments allow us to grow fresh, organic crops that suit our own tastes, such as fruit and veg which alternatively may be expensive to buy in the supermarket. You will also escape all those pesticide residues.  On top of all that, you’ll get plenty of healthy exercise without paying for a gym membership and you’ll enjoy the camaraderie with friends on your plot, which will quickly grow into a friendly and welcoming community of gardeners to socialise amongst.

    The recent promise from the National Trust to create 1,000 new allotments may tempt you to take up a plot.  In which case you may need to look further into the pleasures and pitfalls of allotment gardening. However, if you are more ‘Gro-bag’ than ‘Good life’ then fear not, every little counts!

    Happy Growing!

    P.S.  Don’t forget, we are always willing to pass on our knowledge here at Coolings.  Want to know more about gardening but don’t know where to start? Why not try our ‘How to be a Successful Gardener’ course?  Whether it’s the basics of gardening you want to learn about (preparing soil, how to plant up, how to prune, growing in containers, composting and making it all look good etc), how to grow your own vegetables or learning more about wildlife in the garden, this course can help you. It’s split into two (15 week) modules so you can do both or just the one you are most interested in. No prior knowledge or experience is required just a practical, hands on course for people who have an interest in gardening or who are just starting out and want to learn the principles of modern day gardening. 3 hours a week

    (If you haven’t visited our Plot to Plate Greenhouse yet, make sure you pay it a visit next time you are in store.)