Margaret Prugger, from Shady Rock Nursery, said when they started the business 32 years ago they adopted the approach of ‘slow and steady wins the race’ and to take things one step at a time.

“And we have built it all up from nothing,” Mrs Prugger said.

“We’re getting bigger and bigger and stronger and we’ve achieved that with the help of others, and we like to help where we can too.

“This anniversary has sort of snuck up on us a bit. All of the years just sort of roll into each other.”

Mrs Prugger said COVID-19 had impacted their ability to celebrate and instead they opted for a more humble, low-key approach.

A small amount of decorations and balloons were put up last week at Shady Rock, which was the extent of celebrations.

“We are very aware of the current climate so we didn’t want to get on the brag wagon too much,” Mrs Prugger said.

“There’s a lot of other businesses out there doing it tough, that can’t open because of the lockdown and restrictions.

“We are very lucky to be classed as essential.

“I think to be able to have bright flowers and plants is good for people’s mental health - especially at the moment during lockdown.”

While Shady Rock is faring better than many businesses in Coonabarabran and wider NSW, Mrs Prugger said the last few years have not been without challenges.

She said the drought was extremely hard on her business and was one of the toughest challenges she has overcome in Shady Rock’s 32 years.

“The drought period was certainly a massive challenge for us,” she said.

“But it wasn’t just the drought either; there were the fires that really impacted us and then the drought with little to no greenery around was really disheartening.

“And then there were the floods! When there is heavy rain it turns into a big bog out here - you can’t do anything.”

The biggest change Mrs Prugger has had to endure throughout the 32 years of business was the emergence of social networking sites like Facebook and coping with the orders that come in through it.

“I don’t do Facebook. I never have. So dealing with that was a bit stressful,” Mrs Prugger said.

“My daughter looks after that side of it.”

Even after more than three decades in operation, Mrs Prugger said they weren’t resting on their laurels and more improvements are on the way.

She said a new big fence would soon be erected at the front of the property in the industrial area and they would be working to make the driveway more accessible to trucks in the near future.

Now spring has sprung, Mrs Prugger has given her expert advice and tips on how to make your garden stand out amongst the crowd.

“The name of the game is to make sure you prepare your soil,” she said.

“A garden is much like a house. Without good foundations it will crumble.

“You need healthy soil so the roots will take and that means good mulch and good fertiliser.”