SPRING & SUMMER 2025

It is with great excitement and optimism we find ourselves again in the midst of the spring season, with warmer temperatures and longer days.
As gardeners the opportunities to try new ideas are almost unlimited. You can rest assured that our plants, backed up with an industryleading guarantee, will bring wonderful results in your garden space. Whether you need plants for shade or for hanging baskets, want to overhaul your front garden, grow vegetables in pots, or try new flower varieties, you’ll find all the inspiration you need.
Our nursery production areas are located on 3 of our centres and are now full of fresh potted plants for this season and our team of experts are only too happy to share their knowledge with you.
In fact, Coolings has been growing plants locally for over 100 years, our humble beginnings began in Chislehurst, Kent by 17 year-old Arthur Cooling, (the Grandfather of Paul Cooling), back in 1913. You can learn more about our history in this issue on pages 6 & 7, and you are warmly invited to join our team for a tour of our main production nursery and find out how we do things today, potting over 50,000 plants a week at the peak to supply our sites in Kent and Sussex. See our insert for more details - Nursery tours are on 24th and
Over 90% of the plants we sell are grown on English nurseries and the vast majority by our own nurseries in Kent and Sussex. By choosing home-grown, you’re not only supporting sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint associated with long-distance transport, but gain an assurance as to the quality of the plants. People often ask me when buying seeds and plants at our sites, what the often displayed term ‘F1’ means? It has nothing to do with motor racing, it stands for ‘first filial generation’ and these plants/ seeds are known for their improved uniformity, vigour, larger flowers and often have enhanced resistance to pests and disease. They are the result of controlled cross-pollination between two different parent plants, carried out by professional breeders, giving you guaranteed results. Because they are from specific parents, if you save and sow the seeds the following year you won’t get the same results.
Finally, the team were so proud to hear recently that we had been recognised once again by the Garden Centre Association as having some of the best plant display areas and plant teams in the UK. So please come along and enjoy our plant areas, along with our restaurant and cafés, which continue to offer freshly prepared food and tempting treats. Don’t forget our Lifestyle site in Knockholt offers a wonderful range of garden furniture and interior homewares, inspiration for indoors and out!
We hope you enjoy your exclusive Family offers in this edition and our regular emails that bring news and advice throughout this spring and beyond. On behalf of the Coolings team, we look forward to welcoming you this spring and summer.
Best Wishes,
Gary Carvosso Chairman
Enjoy fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs this coming season. Pick some tasty grow your own treats from our huge selection in-store and online!
Strawberries including ‘Strawberry Loran’ 9cm (186491) £3.99
Great value and huge selection.
Aubergine including ‘Moneymaker’ 9cm (299676) £2.99
Sage including Common Salvia 1 Litre (258457) £5.99
Blueberries including ‘Northland’ 4 Litre (169052) £18.99
Grafted
The premium choice for increased yields per plant.
Tomato including F1 ‘Premio’ 10cm (276588) £6.49
Rosemary including Rosmarinus officinalis 1 Litre (185987) £5.99
Rhubarb including ‘Victoria’ 3 Litre (187495) £14.99
Comprehensive range to just plant out and grow.
Sweetcorn including ‘Supersweet’ Multi-pack (251953) £4.99
Thyme including ‘Doone Valley’ 1 Litre (185323) £5.99
Spring is the season to plan ahead for your summer display of annual bedding and patio plants. At Coolings we are renowned for our huge range of quality home grown plants. Our nursery team have been busy potting and planting to ensure we can fill your summer with colour.
The Coolings experts are always looking for new or improved plants to enhance our customer’s gardens. This season the team have found some exceptional introductions from last year’s professional plant trials to add to the Coolings range.
Look out for these exciting introductions to our range
Mini Trailing Petunia 9cm Pots £3.99
‘Tik Tok Blue’ (203474)
‘Pink Punch’ (336339)
We grew this as a trial in Arthurs Garden last summer to spectacular effect.
Ornamental Millet 1 Litre pot £6.99 Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’ (337522)
Trailing Fuchsia 9cm Pots £3.99
‘Blue Mirage’ (337521)
Southern Belles ‘Deep Purple’ (210824) Southern Belles ‘Seventh Heaven’ (161279)
The majority of the patio plants in our home-grown pot ranges are produced from cuttings rather than seed. This ensures that each plant is genetically identical to the parent, and all perform the same. Each year, when visiting growers' trial grounds, we carefully select only proven varieties with superior genetics, to ensure the very best performance in your garden. Unlike many retailers who sell plants in full bloom, Coolings plants from our own nurseries are sold as ‘Soon to Bloom’ at point of bud, ensuring they establish well and save the main show for you and your garden!
Customers' favourites include…
Trailing Begonia ‘Champagne’
10.5cm Pot £6.99 (181655)
The perfect way to celebrate summer!
Helianthus ‘Sunbelievable™
Brown Eyed Girl’
1 Litre £6.99 (258044)
Nemesia ‘Wisley Vanilla’
1 Litre £6.99 (194791)
Flowers all summer with beautiful vanilla fragrance - See Cuttings May voucher page 12.
Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’
9cm Pot £3.99 (228618)
Thursday 24th April at 11am Tuesday 29th April at 11am and 2pm
Unbelievable non-stop flowering
We grow over 80% of our own Bedding Plants. FREE
If you
Extremely popular drought tolerant ‘background’ plant with delicate white bracts for the whole season, makes this an ideal filler in beds and containers.
DID YOU KNOW?
The GardenGardener’s RushmoreCentre, Hill, Knockholt.
No need to book, please just turn up! See our insert for more details.
We are extremely proud of our wonderful history as the Coolings name spans back over a century and three generations.
Arthur Cooling rented 3 acres of land in Chislehurst for market garden crops.
Trading began as Coolings Nurseries with additional space purchased.
Arthur Cooling purchased half an acre of land known as ‘Little Farm’ behind Chislehurst High Street.
Coolings relocated to Rushmore Hill, Knockholt where The Gardener’s Garden Centre & nursery operates from today.
Here’s a snapshot of our story; one that makes us a little bit different in the world of garden centres and one that is still growing!
Through the acquisition of centres that each had historical reputations for specialising in different plant categories, we have been able to diversify and enhance our growing expertise, enabling us to expand the categories we have at each of our plant-centric sites and bring our customers a wealth of variety and knowledge
Today, we have everything you need, and more, to elevate and enjoy your garden.
Fourth site acquired in Forest Row, East Sussex. Coolings Wych Cross has a long established reputation for specialising in Roses.
Second site was acquired in Knockholt. Previously known as Whiteleggs, with a reputation for growing Geums. Now known as Coolings Lifestyle, housed in an award winning eco-friendly building, it's a retail destination full of interior, gifting and outdoor living inspiration, and also home to Willows Bird of Prey & Wildlife Trail.
Today Coolings produces over 50,000 plants per week throughout our peak season. Our 3 plant sites have 6 acres dedicated to growing plants and shrubs.
Under the stewardship of Paul Cooling, 75% of the third-generation company was sold to the staff creating an Employee Ownership Trust.
Third site acquired in Bearsted, near Maidstone. Coolings Potted Garden also has a production nursery on-site with a huge selection of plants, specialising in Ferns and Hostas.
To win a copy of Michael Cooling’s book, ‘Blooming Wonderful’, which charts Coolings' history in more detail, simply comment on our Facebook post using #coolingsmemories and share your earliest or treasured gardening memories. Limited copies of the book are available to buy in-store priced at £9.95
Plant with Pantone® perfection!
Gardening and nature is all about colour, and to highlight this we’re tapping into 2025’s ‘Pantone® Colour of the Year’… Mocha Mousse! It’s a soft, rich brown hue that’s timeless and celebrates elegance and grounding warmth, and extends into our association with the earth.
Here we highlight some perfect flowering pairings to go with Mocha Mousse, colour palettes that go from subtle complementary to striking contrast!
Digitalis ‘Dalmatian Peach’
3 Litre
£14.99 (243120) Foxglove flowers loved by bees.
Geranium ‘Rozanne’
3 Litre £14.99 (202408) Flowers for months!
Geum ‘Petticoats Peach’
Family Card April Offer
2 Litre £14.99 (309649) Robust growth and semi-double flowers from May.
Agapanthus ‘Blue’
2.5 Litre
£16.99 (310050) Stunning rich blue flowers.
Helenium ‘Peach Sundae’ 3 Litre
£14.99 (284474) Late flowering into Autumn.
Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’
2 Litre
£14.99 (195600) Drought tolerant and loved by pollinators.
PERFECT PINKS
Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’ 3 Litre £13.99 (192623)
Spectacular spires of pink.
LAVENDER SHADES
Verbena ‘Lavender Spires’
2 Litre £13.99 (310523) Adds height and interest.
Cosmos ‘Chocolate Cherry’
1.5 Litre £12.99 (333111)
Chocolate scented!
Erigeron ‘Sea Breeze Pink’ 2 Litre £13.99 (228520)
Low growing and easy to grow.
Achillia ‘Lilac Beauty’
2 Litre £13.99 (200238) Loved by Butterflies.
Heucherella ‘Solar Eclipse’ 2 Litre £14.99 (237442) Perfect for shade.
Plant in pots that follow the Mocha Mousse theme, add contrasting or softer hues for a striking effect.
From left to right: Woodlodge Heritage Range
Edwin Copper 19cm Pot from £7.99 (336638)
Edwin Grey 19cm Bowl from £6.99 (336634)
Edwin Stone Blue 20cm Conical from £9.99 (336592)
Edwin Grey 20cm Cylinder from £9.99 (336618)
Image shows the smallest of each pot design, mixture of larger sizes available.
If you would like to purchase any of the products online, just type in the six-digit number to help you shop easily.
Salvia ‘Pink Friesland’ 2 Litre £13.99 (200052) Flowers year after year.
Erigeron ‘Lavender Lady’ 2 Litre £13.99 (284476) Blooms for months.
Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ 2 Litre £13.99 (201921)
Attack greenhouse crops
Plant Defender
Organic Control
Plant French Marigolds between plants - whitefly hate the aroma.
French Marigold Mix
6-pack
£4.99 (181881)
Use sticky traps to capture flying adults.
Vitax
Whitefly Traps
£7.99 (203553)
Eat vegetable patches
Plant a 'sacrificial' crop of Nasturtiums to attract caterpillars away from vegetables.
Thompson & Morgan Nasturtium Dwarf
Compact Mixed Seeds
£3.49 (178998)
Protect crops with Grazers eco-friendly spray, which make plants safely unappealing to pests.
Grazers G3
750ml RTU
Spray £7.99 (235023)
Eat leafy plants such as Hostas
Use naturally resistant plants such as Ferns, Foxgloves and Hardy Geraniums.
Fern Hardy (mixed)
11cm Pot
£6.99 (220786)
More susceptible plants such as Hostas can be protected.
Vitax Slug
Gone Wool
Pellets
3.5 Litre
£7.99 (182146)
Using companion plants such as Marigolds and Nasturtiums can naturally repel pests while attracting beneficial insects to your garden. And keeping pests away without using chemicals is achievable too with natural barriers like sheep’s wool pellets and the scent of lion dung!
Digging in the garden
Plant ‘Scaredy Cat’ plant (Coleus canina) - they hate the smell and steer clear!
Coleus canina 10cm Pot £5.79 (182993)
Highly effective pellets that have the smell of lion dung!
Silent
Roar
0.5kg
£10.99 (180316)
Eating and damaging plants
Use unpalatable plants such as Achillea, Allium or Kniphofia where damage is expected.
Achillea ‘New Vintage Violet’ 2 Litre £13.99 (248933)
Spray plants with Grazers eco-friendly spray, safely keeps larger pests at bay.
Grazers G1 750ml RTU
Spray £7.99 (252646)
If you would like to purchase any of the products online, just type in the six-digit number to help you shop easily.
Stings and bites
Plant Ageratums near garden seating as these contain Coumarin which is a natural midge repellent.
Ageratums 6-pack
Use Citronella Ivyline Spaas natural candles to repel biting insects. Citronella Summer Blossom Candle £8.99 (283984)
All shop and plant voucher offers can be redeemed at all FOUR Coolings Centres
All shop and plant voucher offers can be redeemed at THREE Coolings Centres* All catering vouchers can only be redeemed at Arthurs Restaurant or Hybrid Tea Room. In order to redeem your vouchers, simply present your Family card and tell the till operator you would like to redeem the offer, we’ll do the rest!
Coolings may refuse to redeem the voucher without your Coolings Family card. If for any reason you have mislaid your Coolings Family card, please speak to a member of our team and we will be more than happy to resolve this for you.
In order to redeem your vouchers, simply present your Family card and tell the till operator you would like to redeem the offer, we’ll do the rest! Coolings may refuse to redeem the voucher without your Coolings Family card. If for any reason you have mislaid your Coolings Family card, please speak to a member of our team and we will be more than happy to resolve this for you.
* Please see Coolings Lifestyle supplement for exclusive Lifestyle Vouchers.
1st - 30th June 2025
Normally £4.99
Free with any purchase (excl. Coffee shop)
Offer valid 1st - 30th June 2025. Maximum one free multi-pack per Coolings Family card. Valid at all sites excluding Coolings Lifestyle. Subject to availability.
1st - 30th June 2025 40% OFF Slimline Watering Can Green 6 Litres
Normally £4.99
NOW £2.99
Offer valid 1st - 30th June 2025. Maximum two per Coolings Family card. Valid at all sites excluding Coolings Lifestyle. Subject to availability.
2nd – 30th June 2025 (excluding 6th, 7th & 8th) in Arthurs CAFÉ/RESTAURANT 10% OFF Purchase (when spending over £10)
Valid Mon - Fri 9.30am - 4pm
Offer valid 1st - 30th June 2025 (excluding 6th, 7th & 8th in Arthurs). Valid for up to two people in same transaction. Can only be used once per Coolings Family card. Not valid with any promotion (inc. loyalty card). Subject to availability.
1st - 31st July
1st - 31st July 2025 SAVE £7 Turin Lantern Indoor/Outdoor USB Rechargable
Available in Slate, Onyx, Ivory, or Sage.
Normally £14.99
NOW £7.99
Offer valid
- Fri 9am - 3.30pm
Offer valid 1st - 31st July 2025. Valid for up to two people in same transaction. Can only be used once per Coolings Family card. Not valid with any promotion (inc. loyalty card). Subject to availability.
These hardy plants bloom in early to late summer, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. Many of these shrubs are lowmaintenance, thriving in a variety of soil and sunlight conditions.
Summer-flowering shrubs and roses bring continuous vibrant colour and life to gardens during the warm months. Whether used as hedges, in borders, or focal points, summer-flowering shrubs and roses add lasting beauty and fragrance throughout the summer season.
We are excited to announce that our home-grown rose range has been refreshed this year to include only the most garden worthy, disease resistant and desirable varieties. Many well-known varieties from the past were developed at a time of high reliance on chemical pesticides, however these have now been superseded by modern genetics that are selected for fragrance, charm, long flowering and naturally healthy growth. Our new season offering combines the best of the past with the best of the present!
Look out for...
Enjoy at leisure our half an acre Pump Garden that highlights our site’s heritage, planted with roses and beautifully formed borders, and a wildlife pond. Wander through or sit a while, take relaxing inspiration away with you.
Spring and summer are the busiest seasons in the garden, offering the perfect opportunity to plant, prune, and nurture for vibrant and thriving displays to enjoy during the warmest months.
Prune spring flowering shrubs after the flowers have finished, to promote growth for next year.
Brighten borders with some of our lovely shrubs, climbers, herbaceous perennials & home-grown roses.
Plant up hanging baskets and containers with summer bedding. (Check out Coolings Planting Workshops!)
Sow, plant and harvest edible crops.
Water plants in dry periods but soak the plant to encourage deeper rooting.
Give the greenhouse plenty of ventilation and shade if necessary.
Apply bark mulches to the borders to conserve moisture and prevent weeds.
Clean-up paving and patio areas ready for BBQ season.
Lay new turf and re-seed bare patches of lawn.
you check before watering – be careful not to over or under free compost can look dry on the surface but still contain moisture for your plants. Either dip your finger in to check watering, or if you can, lift your container or pot to check how heavy it is to see if it needs watering.
Feed when needed – Although most peat free composts contain plant food, they typically only feed your plants from anywhere between 6 weeks to 6 months. As there are often less nutrients in peat free compost, start feeding as soon as fruiting or flowering starts.
Going peat free is a small change for your plants, but a big change for the better for our planet.
Peat free compost has been scientifically developed with a mix of materials so it might look and feel a bit different to a peat-based compost. It often contains wood fibres, topsoil, composted bark, and sometimes green compost from garden waste recycling. Here’s a brief guide to our different composts and what to use them for.
Especially formulated to cater for the needs of all ericaceous plants, such as Rhododendrons, that love acidic growing conditions.
Coolings
Ericaceous Peat Free Compost
50 Litres £9.49 (331835)
bedding plants in pots
Can be used all around your garden in beds, borders, pots, containers or hanging baskets. Mixing water retaining crystals into your compost before planting helps to provide moisture which is released when needed. Suitable for indoor or outdoor plants.
Coolings Multi Purpose
Peat Free Compost
Helps plants retain the right balance of moisture, air and nutrients around the plant roots, promoting healthy growth. Supercharge peat free compost by adding Improver, with beneficial soil bacteria and Rootgrow™ mycorrhizal fungi, giving better flowering and all round plant health.
Coolings Multi Purpose with John Innes Peat Free Compost
50 Litres £9.99 (315623)
planting roses, trees, and shrubs
Provides the ideal environment for planting directly into the ground. It improves drainage and moisture control and supports with establishing fast rooting.
Coolings Rose, Tree, and Shrub Peat Free Compost
50 Litres £9.99 (277608)
50 Litres £9.99 (309244)
Smart Aquagel
400g £7.99 (292652)
Empathy Bioactive Compost Improver
300g £4.99 (327911)
See May's voucher Page 12
We are excited to introduce Coolings ‘Plant Me Now’, a new monthly feature in our centres where we will be focusing on a shrub and an herbaceous perennial genus that will look fabulous to plant out in that particular month. There are some wonderful varieties to look forward to over the coming months…
Ceanothus ‘Blue Mound’ Ceanothus ‘Skylark’ Ceanothus 'Zanzibar'
a 'focus' plant to create height and impact. Your 'focus' should be planted in the centre, taller than the other plants with interesting foliage or dazzling flowers.
choose your 'filler' to bring the zest! These medium-sized varieties should be planted around your ‘focus’ plant to fill the main space of the basket.
select your ‘flowing’ plants. These plants will tumble over the edge of your basket and create an avalanche of colour.
You will often see our bedding plants just with buds and not flowers, which and all this green is good! We provide the freshest of plants so they can give a profusion of flowers glasshouses. Find out more and join us on our Nursery Tours or Planting Workshops. (See insert
When it comes to choosing your hanging basket and container plants, there’s a simple formula to follow: Focus, Fill & Flow
you know? In the peak weeks, over 50,000 plants enter our production cycle.
which means they are ‘Soon to Bloom’, flowers in your garden and not in our insert and opposite for more details)
14th 15th 16th May at 11am & 2pm 17th May at 9.30am
One hour workshop with our Production Director, who has over 30 years’ horticultural experience. Learn how to plant your own hanging basket or container and gain tips on how to care for it. Choose your own plants from a selection provided and get creative! Booking is essential. Refreshments and all materials included. Places are limited. £30 per head including refreshments. Booking in advance is essential.
Bring joy to your garden and enjoy exclusive membership perks, including special plant-centric offers, gardening hints and tips, first to know of what’s new, enjoy an extra 2 years on plant guarantee, Birthday treat and the occasional free coffee!
We produce locally almost a million plants per year that are environmentally conditioned in the area against pest and disease, making them more resilient and a better quality plant.
We like to employ local people within each of our four centres, and support the community and local charities.
Your satisfaction and trust with the plants you have purchased is vital to us. We therefore guarantee all our hardy nursery stock for 7 years, for Coolings Family Members. (5 years for non-members).
Across our 3 sites we offer some of the widest ranges of plants in the South East, with our Rushmore Hill, Knockholt site rivalling RHS Wisley for range.
The environment is at the heart of all we do and our goal is to minimize our environmental impact and this includes our focus on water use.We are conscious of water scarcity and this as a valuable commodity and resource. Our main Rushmore Hill site has two rainwater reservoirs which collect around a million litres of water which we filter and re-circulate for irrigation purposes on the nursery.
Look out for our Coolings Quality Assured logo on bedding plants this season, this logo means the plants meet the following criteria:
Home grown on our nursery
Acclimatised to local environment
Integrated pest management
We have horticulturally trained staff constantly enhancing their skills and we invest in the team through our inhouse RHS courses, the only garden centre in the UK to be accredited to teach RHS courses.This year alone, another 3 staff are completing this extensive training.
75% of the company is owned by the employees in an Employee Ownership Trust.
Arthurs Restaurant overlooks our fully maintained one-acre garden that showcases some of our plant ranges to their very best. Cared for by our full-time gardener, Alice, you can come and relax, unwind and enjoy the flourishing flowers and greenery without doing any of the hard work!
Whether you take a table with our new seating inside or sit out on the pretty terraces you can enjoy spring and summer at Arthurs, with a full seasonal menu of specialties and where tempting treats will tantalise your tastebuds.
If you enjoy relaxing at Arthurs then we have two other hidden gems for you to discover…
At Coolings Wych Cross, Forest Row
A warm welcome also awaits you at our wonderful Hybrid Tea Room, nestled in our Garden Centre in the Ashdown Forest. Here is the perfect place to relax with breath-taking views over our famous rose nursery and the distant countryside. After your break, why not wander down to enjoy our beautiful Pump Garden, planted with roses and landscaped borders, reflecting the site’s heritage and providing a relaxing oasis and gardening inspiration.
At Coolings Lifestyle, Knockholt
The relaxation continues at Blueberry Café, ideal for all the family come rain or shine!
The naturalistic setting provides an enjoyable backdrop for a break and why not visit Willows Bird of Prey and Wildlife Trail to while away a few hours or take a little time to browse around Lifestyle’s treasures and treatsthere’s something for all ages and tastes.
Hill, Knockholt, Kent, TN14 7NN
6th - 8th June 3rd August
Gardener’s Garden Centre
Rushmore Hill, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 7NN 01959 532269
@coolingsgardencentre
Main Road, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 7LJ 01959 534386
Ashford Road, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 4NH 01622 737801
Coleman’s Hatch Road, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JW 01342 822705 @coolingswychcross