Sweet Success

Over two fruitful decades, Debbie and Cameron Wilson have created a little slice of Europe in the middle of Tasmania.

- Elizabeth Wilson

Sweet is the garden grown from scratch and nurtured over many years, evolving in tandem with the owner’s growth as a gardener. The longer the journey, the deeper the experience. And the greater the rewards. This is the case with Debbie and Cameron Wilson’s garden in the historic village of Oatlands, Tasmania, an hour north of Hobart. The 3000m2 plot of land has consumed the couple since they bought an “almost demolishable” stone cottage on the site 28 years ago. Built in 1827, the home is one of the oldest in Oatlands. It has thick, camel-toned walls and cedar trims and, on Debbie and Cameron’s first inspection, sat in a weedy paddock, any semblance of a garden long faded.

“There was no garden – only a few old rock beds and a couple of pine trees out the front,” says Debbie. “We took all of those out and had to start from scratch.”

The couple spent the next few years clearing a century’s worth of debris from the block and planning how best to utilise it. Their first foray into planting was a bed of perennials – penstemons, lavender and roses – along the front of the cottage and a row of iceberg roses along the property’s border. These coincided with the launch of their business, Provincial Antiques, which they operated from home for the next 15 years while raising sons Dillon, now 18, and Liam, 15.