The Greenhouse at the Edge of the Wood

by Liz Delton

A Cozy Cottage Short Story

When Vivica inherits a cottage by the edge of the wood, she dreamed of having enough space for a garden.

But when her friend gives her a near-extinct chrysalis, which needs a rare dragon lily to thrive, Vivica sets on a path of garden experiments to help the creature thrive.

The magic of her new home might be able to help her, but can she keep the secret of the cottage?


*This is a standalone short story, and can be read in any order alongside the Cozy Cottage Series. Chronologically, it takes place after The Witch at the Edge of the Wood.*

Genres: Fantasy

ebook

Published March 23, 2026

About the author

Liz Delton writes and lives in New England, with her husband and sons. She studied Theater Management at the University of the Arts in Philly, always having enjoyed the backstage life of storytelling.

World-building is her favorite part of writing, and she is always dreaming up new fantastic places.

She loves drinking tea and traveling. When she’s not writing or reading, you can find her baking in the kitchen, or out in the garden trying to keep her plants alive.

Reviews

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful read just hit the spot for me! I've read the previous books about a certain cottage and its inhabitants, I knew I'd have a permanent smile on my face reading it. And I was right... this author's storytelling is guaranteed to make you want to jump up and down in joy!

Vivica felt stiffled surrounded by bricks and mortar so when her grandmother offered a charming cottage outside of town, at the edge of the woods, she was in seventh heaven. A place she could plant and tend to her plants with no restrictions. Her delight and amazement at the cottage's...."specialities".. made my smile even wider. This cottage, as we've come to know, is unique, pretty much to Vivica', "It was like she had a magical assistant". And a cat, yes, THE cat! This time named Cobweb...I loved Vivica! I loved watching her sense of wonder as she discovers the secrets of the cottage and I simply adored her exuberance! Given a cocoon of a very rare, almost extinct, fangfly by her uncle, thanks to her green fingers, and the cottage of course, if she can make it work, she could feed the fangfly when it emerged! When it does, I couldn't suppress my "awwww" at the beautiful magnificence of the butterfly like creature, soooo pretty, and aptly named Amethyst.

This author always delivers, always gives a beautiful and vividly descriptive tale. This series is full of heart, it's full of all the feel good emotions, spinning a story with such ease is simply resplendent! Each time I read another in this series I think, ok...it can't ALL be tremendous and blow me over with a light breeze, it IS ALL TREMENDOUSLY gorgeous! Perfectly shaped by this very talented author!

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Greenhouse at the Edge of the Wood, is a standalone short story in the Cozy Cottage series by Liz Delton.

The story doesn't outright say it but I believe the Grandmother in this story is the main character from The Witch at the Edge of the Woods. Little hints like her friend in Elody with a bakery and the fact that she used to live in the cottage.

I liked this short look at another user for the magical cottage at the edge of the woods. The fact that her grandma could tell her all about the cottage helped keep the story short since she didn't have our MC didn't have to learn all of the rules of magic on her own.

The best part of the story was the introduction of the new creature called a fangfly. A kind of dragon/butterfly. It's an adorable piece of worldbuilding and I want one in real life.

[Dayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cozy novella! Vivica is so excited to be gifted her very own cottage by her grandmother. She cannot wait to cover it with plants of all kinds and plant her own garden out front. As a housewarming gift, she is given a very rare Fangfly, but they mainly live off of dragon lilies, and those are even more elusive. However, she is up to the challenge and cannot wait to experiment on where they will grow best. 

This was a quick read, broken down into the different seasons. I loved Vivica’s dedication to her plants and her scientific approach to growing them. She was such a light and had such a joy to her craft that it makes me wish my own thumbs could be that green. This was a short story included with the KS of another in the series, but worth the read all on its own.

[Roberta Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting! Endearing!! Exciting!!! Vivica has always dreamed of her own garden, a place to grow lush greenery. Living in a flat with her parents, the only space was a rooftop with plants in pots and bumbling bees. When her parents leave for a lecture jaunt on their faerûn heritage, she moves to her Grandmama's cottage, a magical cottage at the edge of the wood. Their family friend, Torvald, gifts her an endangered gleaming chrysalis as a housewarming gift. It contains a fragile fangfly chrysalis that requires a rare dragon lily flower to mature and prosper. Vivica undertakes an ambitious string of seed and bulb trials to aid the fascinating, flying, flutterer in flourishing! This is a delightful, sweet short story in Liz Delton's Cozy Cottage series!! 5 Charming stars!!!

[Lene Blackthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet and cozy short story will bring a permanent smile on your face while reading, if you enjoy this type of books. A nice addition to the other standalones taking place in this magical cottage at the edge of the woods, warming the heart and soul. This short story follows Vivica with her green thumb, focus always on plants and gardening, and a small - or big - dream to bring back a plant that was long believed to be extinct. Magic shines through the pages and the story provides a warm hug, a welcome rest from the stress of daily reality. It was such a treat!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful addition to this cozy woods series. I received a copy from the author. Vivica plants a very rare dragon lily plant in order to feed her fangfly once it leaves its chrysalis. She runs multiple experiments with her plants and has a great garden in the woods. Chronologically, this story takes place after The Witch at the Edge of the Woods. This series just keeps getting better!

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great “at the Edge of the Woods” story. This time the story revolves around a young girl who inherits the cottage from her grandmama and discovers its magic. She loves plants and experimenting on finding the best environments for her plants to thrive. She especially wants to grow dragon Lillie’s so her fangfly will get the nectar it needs.