Coolings in Bloom is Back! 🌿 How Tonbridge’s Gardens are Leading the Way
If there’s one thing we’ve learned living in Tonbridge, it’s that people here love their gardens. Whether it’s a few pots on the patio, a riot of colour in the front garden, or an impressively productive veggie patch, Tonbridge folk know their way around a trowel.
That’s why we’re thrilled that entries are now open for the 2025 Coolings In Bloom competition—a lovely initiative run by Coolings Garden Centres. It’s completely free to enter and is open to anyone living in Tonbridge & Malling, as well as a few neighbouring areas like Bromley and Sevenoaks.
There’s a whole bunch of categories to suit different types of gardeners: Best Front Garden, Best Back Garden, Best Container or Hanging Basket, Best Pollinator-Friendly Garden, Best Allotment Plot, and even Best School or Community Project. You can enter more than one if you like, and everyone gets a little thank-you voucher from Coolings just for taking part.
There are some wonderful success stories from Tonbridge and Malling gardeners in last year’s (2024) competition. Here’s a little shout-out to the local legends who brought home the glory:
🌼 Amanda Allen-Mahler took home first place for Best Front Garden and Best Pollinator-Friendly Garden. A real double win!
🌼 Sheela Pydiah was runner-up for Best Front Garden and Best Container, and she won Best Back Garden. That’s three separate mentions—clearly a name to watch.
🌼 Judith Payne got a winner’s spot for Best Container, third place in the pollinator garden category, and a special mention for her back garden.
🌼 Geoff Barber and Jan & Geoff McCormack shared joint first for Best Allotment Plot—something tells us those plots must be spectacular.
🌼 St George’s CEP School in Wrotham won Best School Garden, and Leslie Tew Court in Tonbridge was crowned the top Community Project. It’s not just private gardens making a splash!
How to Enter:
- Download the Entry Form: Visit the Coolings website and download the entry form specific to Tonbridge & Malling.
- Submit Your Entry: Complete the form, indicating which categories you’re entering, and submit it by 30th June 2025.Coolings Garden Centre, Kent & Sussex
- Email: Send to community@coolings.co.uk
- Post: Coolings Nurseries, Rushmore Hill, Knockholt, Kent, TN14 7NN
What You Win:
- All Entrants: Receive a small voucher just for entering!
- Category Winners: Awarded Coolings vouchers.
- Awards Ceremony: All participants are invited to an awards ceremony in September at Coolings The Gardener’s Garden Centre in Knockholt.
Feeling inspired? Entries are open now and close on 30th June, so there’s still time to tidy up those borders, fill your pots with colour, or show off your bee-friendly beds. Just pop over to the Coolings website to download an entry form specific to Tonbridge & Malling.
And if you’re not quite ready to enter, there’s always next year. Or just go for a wander—now’s the perfect time to appreciate how many green-fingered stars we’ve got in our neighbourhood.
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