Wilson was brought up in Broughshane, County Antrim. His family ran a drapers and tweed mill at Ballymena.[2] He became interested in gardening, and more specifically in daffodils, at a young age, after being shown a book on the subject written by William Baylor Hartland. After completing his education he worked in the family business for a time before becoming a professional horticulturalist.[2]
He began selectively breeding his own daffodil varieties in his early twenties, with a particular interest in the white forms often associated with Ireland.[3] He received his first Royal Horticultural Society Award of Merit in 1922, for a variety called "White Dame".[4] After spending some time at Coey's nursery in Larne he set up his own business, and eventually opened a large nursery at Marden, Kent though he remained based in County Antrim. Wilson had a good reputation for his ability to assess a flower's characteristics,[5] and went on to produce a large number of cultivars.
In 1950 the Royal Horticultural Society presented Wilson with its highest award, the Victoria Medal.
Wilson, who never married, died in February 1962.
