A staple in Rochester for more than 37 years, family-owned Temptation Living and Landscapes will continue to service the community as they shift focus in 2025.
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Temptation Living and Landscapes began in 1987 when David and Pauline Wileman jumped into the horticultural industry.
The couple purchased land on the Northern Hwy for Yalooka Landscape & Garden Supplies, taking on the business for more than 20 years.
“I’m going to start a nursery, landscape business, so we went ahead and bought it,” David said, reflecting on his thinking the time.
“I’d always been horticulture-minded... Mum and Dad were gardeners.”
Yalooka took off, with Pauline putting a floristry apprentice on and arranging for events across the region, like weddings, funerals and balls.
“It just grew and grew and grew,” she said.
Their son Brett began his landscaping apprenticeship in Bendigo, later moving to Yalooka to finish it at the family business.
Originally beginning his gardening career as a teenager, Brett ran a lawn mowing business, eventually developing into a larger landscaping company.
“As a 15-year-old, I started a lawn mowing business in town,” he said.
“My grandfather bought me a mower... I used to go around with a push-bike and a trailer.
“The lawn mowing part of the business expanded into landscape construction and earthmoving, this is where sand and soil and garden supplies fitted in as well.”
Around 2008, David and Pauline were both diagnosed with cancer, forcing them to take a step back from Yalooka.
Brett and his wife, Sally, decided to take on the full business, a decision that David and Pauline were grateful for.
“With his apprenticeship, it sort of blended in,” David said.
“We didn’t expect him to throw it in to come and help us but he did.
“It was a big strain taken off us.”
The business transitioned to Temptation Living and Landscapes shortly after, expanding to a retail nursery and cafe, making a name for themselves in gardening circles.
Sally also jumped into the world of social media early on, promoting the business through online channels and reaching wide audiences.
“It really changed and grew from that local garden nursery to a destination as we introduced modern garden pots and outdoor ornaments along with home decor and gifts,” Sally said.
“When we introduced the café, that’s when it became the whole destination really.
“You can buy a gift for a special occasion or for yourself, plus lots of beautiful accessories to decorate and style up the home.”
“Once we started really (diversifying) the nursery as such, we used to get a lot of great feedback. We were starting to get known.”
When they first took on Temptation Living and Landscapes, Brett and Sally had four sons, aged 12, 10, four and three years old, juggling operating a small business and raising a young family.
Their boys have picked up on the many skills involved in running their business along the way.
“Having four energetic boys, it would get challenging at times as they grew, with school pick-ups, and after school and weekend sports,” Sally said.
“As they have grown up in the daily life of running a nursery and garden supplies business, they have all learnt to drive a bobcat and load trailers, have great retail experience with customers, know a plant or two and make a wicked coffee.”
Their next steps will see Brett and Sally shift their focus towards the landscaping side of the business, opening a new office on their current site.
For the couple, it will be a well-deserved step back from the retail nursery and cafe space.
“I’ve done it every Christmas for 37 years,” Brett said.
“When you’ve got plant stock, and you’re in a small family business in summer, you can’t have a day off; otherwise you’ll lose your stock."
“It’s just part of being a nursery owner, you’ve got to be accustomed to work and work hard and work long hours, or you don’t survive."
Customers will still be able to use their landscaping and gardening maintenance services.
The retail nursery site will remain on the same footprint, but to be operated by Bendigo-based Rodilesa nursery.
“We’re changing gears, backed off into fourth instead of overdrive,” Brett said.
“We are still here operating the sand and soil and all the garden supplies, your mulches, your gravel, decorative rock.
“Our landscaping and gardening maintenance business will operate from this premises as well, just not the retail nursery.”
The Wilemans will miss working with their teams, who have been largely local staff and formed strong connections with the business.
“We’ve always mostly had a team of girls on board and over the years a few of them (have been) happy to tackle the challenge, learning to drive the bobcat and load a trailer,” Brett said.
“That made me pretty proud.”
Brett and Sally are looking forward to the next chapter, hoping to spend more time with their family as they make some room on their full plates.
They are also ready to grow the landscaping and gardening supplies operation.
“(We’re) exiting from one part to focus on the others and continue the growth,” Sally said.
“It’s exciting... having weekends, a little bit of extra free time and working on growing the rest of the business.
“Now that (the boys) have all grown up, we will be looking forward to some more time catching up and sharing fun times together.”
The retail side of the business will finish up in March and the Wilemans have encouraged those with gift cards to use those before March 1 when all stock must be cleared.
Cadet Journalist