Ensure a long season of colour in your garden with our choices of bulbs to plant in the autumn that flower in spring – with a little forward planning you can enjoy bursts of colour from bulbs almost all year round. Our ‘100 days of colour’ has varieties flowering one after another from March, right through to July.
Category: Plants
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The ‘Pump Garden’ at Wych Cross Garden Centre
Our half an acre revived ‘Pump Garden’ is officially Open and Free to wander at your leisure. Open daily, the garden will evolve over time, so we hope you will enjoy what we have created and watch as the garden continues to grow and develop over future seasons.
Gary Carvosso, Coolings Chairman and Ian Hazon, Coolings Production and Operations Director (both pictured left) talk us through the Pump Garden in our new video – please watch here.
A special heritage is revived…
The name ‘Pump Garden’ comes from the pump that now stands proudly on display in the far corner of the half an acre garden. The pump signifies and celebrates the special heritage of this site and its restoration springs life back into a forgotten and lost part of Wych Cross’ past.
History of Wych Cross Garden Centre
The pump is the original water pump that supplied water to the site from the 1930’s.
The original site was the market garden for the Roebuck Hotel, just next door on the A22. In 1939 a water supply was needed to service the site so a well 70 ft deep was sunk with a further 400 ft of borehole put in. The pump was then used to draw the water up into tanks in the hotel and provide water around the site. At that time the whole project cost a guinea a foot, which is over £38,000 in today’s money.
The market garden was developed into a nursery in 1949 under the ownership of Major Stringer, but the site eventually separated from the hotel in the early 1960’s after the Major passed away. Phil Pearson became the new owner, having worked on the site since 1949 and he developed it into a retail nursery.
Wych Cross Market Garden c.1940’s
Following on from Phil Pearson, new owners once again arrived in 1986 with Jon Hacker, John Paisley and Ray Kennedy taking the reins. Over the years the nursery became famed for growing a large range of roses, something that continues today.
In 2016 the business was once again sold, this time to Wyevale, the national chain of garden centre operators.
Wyevale itself was owned by an investment company and when they decided to sell all their centres, over 150 in total, to pay back their investors, Coolings were more than happy to acquire Wych Cross Garden Centre in 2019, having known Jon Hacker, John Paisley and Ray Kennedy in the days of their ownership.
After buying Wych Cross, we then embarked upon a complete refurbishment of the site and centre to improve the customer facilities, plant areas and general shop layout. And although the Coolings family still hold a stake in the business, the majority of the share are owned by the employees as part of an Employee Ownership Trust, so our staff all benefit directly from their passion for the running of the business.
Since taking over, we have also taken great pride in restoring the rose production nursery and we began growing again on-site in 2020, producing roses to supply all 4 our our garden centres. Today Wych Cross grows 180 varieties of roses and stocks a further 55 varieties of David Austin roses. To say that we know roses is an understatement!
The seed of an idea came about for restoring the pump and re-discovering the garden.
The Pump Garden
The half acre site that the Pump Garden covers originally formed part of the grounds when the site of the nursery and hotel were one. Over the years as times changed the garden was lost and just became part of the overall site without trace of the once beautiful beds and borders. The revived Pump Garden will not only highlight the roses we produce but feature mixed planting to mirror the original designs from the past.
Painstakingly restoring the pump and digging in over 100 tons of well-rotted compost (from our compost heaps) to improve the heavy clay soil was an undertaking even before planting could begin. Pathways and an extensive wooden pergola have been installed in readiness for the beautiful rose varieties to feature and flourish over time. And the pump is back on site and sits boldly and proudly in the top corner of the site, clear for all to see.
Where once the pump provided water for the gardens and site, we have dug a pond that fills naturally from rainfall and the natural springs we have flowing on site. It contains approximately 140,000 litres or 30,795 gallons of water and is a restful and reflective feature of the lower part of the garden.
The Water Pump
As celebrating the heritage of the site is at the heart of our passion at Wych Cross, we undertook a restoration project of the old water pump, that once provided water for the garden centre and the neighbouring hotel. The project was a huge job as the pump had to be relocated from its initial position, restored and re-positioned in the garden and although it isn’t a functional object, it allows us to reflect on the vast history of the site.
Why not visit our wonderful café whilst on site too!
The Hybrid Tea Room
The Hybrid Tea Room, a wonderful café that offers a range of drinks, cakes, breakfast and lunch, looks upon the rose area of the centre. The picturesque view from the terrace presents aisles and aisles of colourful roses, pinks blushing throughout each row. Open 7 days a week Monday – Saturday 9.00am -4.30pm and Sunday 10am – 4.30pm Last orders 4pm.
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Why Gardening Is Good For You
Encouraging Healthy Eating
‘Growing your own’ is an ever-increasingly popular activity with gardeners of all abilities. People are enjoying the transition of garden to plate by planting their own fruit and veg to ensure a ready supply of fresh, organic produce throughout the growing season.
Whether you have a full-on vegetable patch, a herb planter, or just a hanging basket, it is easy to achieve with only a few products, check out our recipe idea made with Coolings ‘Grow Your Own’ range.
Not only does growing your own provide a relaxing and stress-free activity, but it proves better for your health and is extremely rewarding! Here at Coolings we sell veg and herb seeds and plants giving you options from growing from scratch, or from a plant if you’re looking for quicker results. Check out our range of Seed Tapes for a great easy option!
Relaxation
By creating a relaxing and calm environment in your garden you can feel peace and of sound mind. Relaxation can be found through many sensory attributes; sound, smell, sight, and touch.A calm sound in the garden, such as the serene flow of water, is perfect for blocking away outside noise and creating an area for you to be at peace.
Water features come in different shapes, themes and colours, shop here to find the perfect component for your garden’s individuality.
Bright and cheerful colours are guaranteed to be a mood booster, it’s easy to add beautiful shades of your favourite colour with bedding plants, you won’t believe the transformation that a pop of colour adds to your mood when relaxing in the garden.
Adding colour to hanging baskets and planters in smaller spaces will ensure that colour is prevalent when you look outside.
A relaxing smell throughout the garden, especially near your seating area or on your balcony or windowsill is easy to achieve; whether it be sweet lavender, fresh mint or polemonium ‘heaven scent’ which has beautiful fragrant flowers and is easy to grow.
Want something with excitement and a bit different? Our Eriostemon Myoporoides, commonly known as the G&T plant for its favoured smell is the perfect accompaniment to any outside space – although inedible, it’s the perfect pairing (from a distance!) for that refreshing summer drink.
Boosting Immunity
Getting a daily dose of Vitamin D is great for fighting off colds, boosting your mood and lowering blood pressure. Also, you can increase your strength, flexibility and overall fitness with regular gardening.
Mental Health
Gardening is good for our mental health, by increasing the greenery in your home you can reduce your stress, increase your energy levels and calm your brain for a clearer thinking process.
We offer many indoor plants which are great air purifiers, perfect for your home. Those suffering from anxiety or depression have found putting their attention to gardening and caring for their plants to be extremely beneficial.
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Branch Out this Autumn!
Autumn is the perfect time to plant a tree.
Planting a tree is a simple yet impactful action that will benefit you and the planet as a whole. It’s an investment in a sustainable and healthier future.
Planting a tree in your garden has numerous benefits. Not only will a tree add interest and beauty to your garden, but offers shade and cooling once established in the warmer months and provides environmental benefits too – their root systems can help with water and soil conservation, helping to prevent soil erosion and flooding, improve air quality and provide food and a natural habitat for wildlife.
There are trees in all shapes, sizes and varying colours and there is a perfect one (or few!) that will suit your garden! Trees that offer foliage, fruit, flower, form, shade, screening or autumnal colour we have them all, in a wonderful selection to choose from. Available in-store* or online.
*Trees not available at Coolings Lifestyle.
FRUIT…
Malus ‘Halloween’ – a low maintenance option producing gorgeous mini-pumpkin shaped fruits – hence its name!FORM…
Sorbus ‘Autumn Spire’ – perfect for smaller spaces, this upright, columnar tree turns purple, red and yellow in autumn. A beautiful form to add to your scheme.
FOLIAGE…
Malus ‘Royal Raindrops’– One of the prettiest Crab Apple trees with stunning pink flowers and reddish-purple deep cut foliage.
SHADE…
Acer fr. ‘Autumn Blaze’ – A very popular fast growing tree with a spectacular red canopy in autumn.
For more planting inspiration, check out our Autumn 2024 Cuttings magazine here our Branch Out feature is on pages 18 & 19.Why plant in autumn?
Planting in autumn, whilst the soil is still warm and there are plentiful rains, offers a tree just the right amount of time to establish a root system before the ground freezes.
When it comes to planting trees, pick a time when air temperatures have cooled so that newly planted trees can focus on establishing root systems.
Look out the window before planting. If your neighbourhood trees still have their leaves – you’re good to go!
How to Plant a Tree
- Dig a bowl-shaped hole about the same depth as the tree’s root, but as much as five times the width!
- Settle the root in the centre of the hole you’ve dug and then backfill with the soil you removed.
- Gently tamp the soil to remove air pockets, but don’t compact the dirt. The root collar should be slightly above the soil line.
- Water well! If the soil settles too much, add more more of the backfill.
- Water deeply two or three times a week.
See our range of planting equipment and accessories in-store* and online or if you live local to The Gardener’s Garden Centre, Knockholt, you can have our professional tree planting services plant them for you. Charges apply. For more information call 01959 532269.
‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.’ Chinese Proverb
A tree for every garden
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‘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.
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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!
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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
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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.
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Early Bird 2024 Sale Top Picks
Our biggest sale event is back! The 2024 Early Bird Sale is here, with some of our best prices that you will find all year, available both in-store and online until the end of February.
Early Bird offers are exclusive to our Coolings Family members and they are the perfect helping hand for tackling all your gardening tasks in the new year, and an opportunity to get a head start and prepare for the growing season ahead.
Our Plant and Shop Experts, Jon and Andy, have chosen their favourite offers from this year’s Early Bird Sale.
Here is Jon’s favourite offer the 3 for £10 Pick & Mix offer on 1 Litre Herbaceous Perennials. He has selected just 5 of the plants from the extensive range, which are all normally £6.99 each. To see more plants within the offer click on the link above, and for more plants savings in the Early Bird 2024 sale, come in-store or shop online
Digitalis purpurea ‘Pam’s Choice’
Papaver orientale ‘Royal Wedding’
Andy has picked 5 of his favourite shop offers from our Early Bird Sale 2024, but you will find a much wider choice in-store and online.
Miracle Gro All Purpose Peat Free Compost 40 Litres – Early Bird Offer 4 for 12 in-store or Online offer 3 for £12
I’m sure you won’t find this premium compost cheaper anywhere else. A fantastic opportunity to stock up and save ready for the growing season ahead.
Miracle-Gro All Purpose Continuous Release Plant Feed 900g
Using a continuous release feed at the start of spring will feed your plants for the whole season, removing the need for regular feeding. Suitable for indoor or outdoor plants.
A great price for a hard surface treatment that works in days, and lasts for months, with no scrubbing or pressure washing needed.
Tom Chambers Fabulous Fat Balls 50 Box
Excellent value for high energy fat balls, to feed the birds particularly over the colder months. Comes in plastic free packaging to help the planet and garden birds.
Solar Centre Firefly Solar Garden Lights
Add a bit of theatre to your garden with these quality solar lights, that sway gently in the breeze, creating an ethereal effect.
If you’re a Coolings Family member you would have received your Cuttings Early Bird 2024 Sale magazine. This issue is packed with exclusive offers that you can take advantage of as a member (don’t forget to present your Coolings Family card at the till!). You will find many more fantastic offers in-store.
Not a Coolings Family member? Doesn’t mean you have to miss out, simply join in-store and take advantage of our Early Bird Sale straight away or join online.
Pick up your copy of Cuttings Early Bird in-store or click here to view online now.
