The Cleary family could never have dreamed 35 years ago that over one hundred people would be queuing to celebrate their new expansion to their destination garden centre.

Mark and Christina Cleary started with a seed of an idea in 1990, selling plants in an 8x6ft greenhouse along the side of the road. Over the years, it has slowly blossomed into a flourishing business.

On April 12, the family invited members of the public to the grand opening of their brand new Planet Area and Entrance, which now has a cover area for all weather shopping, and has created extra retail space. The new entrance hall also proudly displays the family history. The roof collects rain water, which is later used to water plants in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way, and the new plant benches are known as flood benches, watering plants from the base, and cutting down on water waste, while improving plant health.

Spring excitement was in the air as customers queued as early as 8am, hoping to catch a glimpse of celebrity TV horticulturalist David Domoney as he cut a yellow ribbon to officially open the building to the public at 9:30am.

Brother and sister Liam Clearly and Katie Eckley are the children of Mark and Christina, and were blown away by the turn out.

“We’re doing this for their experience, and they really appreciate it,” Katie, operations director, told The Brecon and Radnor Express. “People coming in today are thanking us for doing it and it’s really love to see.”

“To see it finally come together has been a really nice feeling. I stood back and was looking at everyone and it was really overwhelming,” Liam, garden retail director, said. “I can’t stop looking around and smiling at the place.”

“Our relationship with the community is really strong,” Katie said. “We knew a lot of the faces coming in, greeting them, hugging them. They’ve supported us for so long and that makes such a difference.”

The plans for the expansion were first put into place five years ago, and it has been a lot of work to get the project off the ground.

“We’ve done 35 years, we’re still young. What are we going to change in the next thirty five years?” Liam said. “One of the thing mum and dad have always taught us is to keep reinvesting and giving back to the community.”

“We’ve got lots of ideas,” Katie said, talking of future plans. “There's more we can do with houseplants. The list goes on. Might have a year off now though.”

David Domoney, known for his stints on ITV’s This Morning and his presenting role on Love Your Garden alongside Alan Titchmarsh said: “Family businesses that are run with a focus with their customers in mind become very special places to visit, so I’m delighted to be here. Looking at this huge investment that looks like a railway station is perfectly in character, making it more comfortable to people to shop, and with easy accessibility, I find that type of investment very positive for the community.”

Locals to the area and regular visitors, Vera and Ruth, said the new plant area was ‘amazing’. Ruth said: “I was here a few weeks ago and they’ve done wonders in such a short time.”

Vera praised the growth of the business, which benefits the area and creates more jobs.