Being cosy is of course synonymous with winter, but if like us you want to feel snug, warm and happy in your garden all year round, you'll find oodles of inspiration here in Vanessa and Steve Price's Stroud plot.
The charming 1890s wooden cabin looks like something out of a movie, so it’s no surprise that it and the surrounding half-an-acre garden is listed on a film location site. With vintage car, caravan and picture-perfect veranda at their disposal, Vanessa and husband Steve cruise into winter with ease.
A few added extras – chiminea, fairylights, lanterns and a pine tree – and their winter wonderland comes alive. “Snow of course is the perfect finishing touch,” says Vanessa.
It was the veranda that first drew the couple to the property. “It’s our favourite part of the house and where we spend most of our waking hours when we’re not working – relaxing, eating meals, reading, listening to music or podcasts and just enjoying looking out over the garden watching the birds and squirrels. Why don’t more UK homes have them?” she ponders.
The couple’s home in Whiteway, Stroud, is part of a colony set up by Tolstoyan socialists 125 years ago, and new residents must still be approved by a meeting and vote of the colonists. Having been successful in their application in early 2022, Vanessa, who works in an estate agents, started garden planning well before they got the keys, seeking ideas online.
And while the south-facing plot had plenty of potential and low-maintenance evergreen shrubs, it didn’t have much colour or flower power. “I love Instagram and find my inspiration there,” shares Vanessa. “I planned the garden completely before we moved. I even bought things to arrive after we moved in. I grew flowers from seeds and took cuttings at my previous house ready for the move. We needed an extra removal van just for the plants!”
Vanessa & Steve's garden plan
LOCATION Stroud, Glos
THE LOOK Trad country garden
with vintage finds
SITE Size Half an acre Faces South
Soil Stony, improved with leaf mulch & compost
BUDGET
Raised beds £80 each
Shed £900
Greenhouse £400
Bark chippings £200
Seeds £30
Total: £1,610
HOW LONG IT TOOK
Kitchen garden 1 month
Building shed 1 week
Building greenhouse 2 weeks
Building raised beds 1 week
Repainting caravan 1 week
Total: Just over a year & ongoing
Kitchen garden know-how
The couple moved into their new home in May 2022 and Vanessa didn’t waste any time. “I wanted to create a pretty garden right away as I didn’t want to go through our first summer and winter with a garden I wasn’t happy with,” she recalls.
“I also wanted to grow food for our home. Growing up, my parents were both keen gardeners and my dad had an allotment; growing vegetables reminds me of weekends as a child helping my dad, plus nothing tastes better than homegrown. Luckily it was the perfect time of year to get started.”
Six metal raised beds had been ordered pre-move. “They’re so easy to build and should last for many years,” enthuses Vanessa. “They’ve exceeded our expectations and are great, we don’t need to dig and slugs seem to stay away.” The area was levelled using a neighbour’s mini digger and then a carpet membrane added, covered with eco bark chips, to suppress weeds. “We finished it after a month of being here,” smiles Vanessa. “It’s my happy place.”
Despite a few teething troubles – caterpillars stripped the kale bare – Vanessa and Steve have enjoyed a feast of homegrown delights: potatoes, radishes, marrows, courgettes, cabbages, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and rhubarb to name just a few. “The kitchen garden is providing a lovely harvest,” effuses Vanessa. “It makes the hard work worthwhile. Some things never make it inside – the mangetout and raspberries get eaten fresh off the plants!”
Standout gluts include ‘Winter Gem’ lettuce. “They’re so easy to grow and there’s nothing better than picking fresh salad from the garden,” smiles Vanessa. And runner beans are grown in galvanised tubs with hazel supports. “I cut the hazel from the garden as we have a few trees that can get out of control if they aren’t cut back regularly. Nothing goes to waste as I also use the small bits for pea sticks and plant supports.”
Walnuts are aplenty too, which have proved great for pickling. “We have a huge walnut tree and everyone said we should try pickling them,” Vanessa reveals. “So we did. I’ve given them a sneaky taste already and they’ll be delicious at Christmas, sliced with cheese.”
Flowers aplenty
Next on the to-do list was building a potting shed and replacing the greenhouse. Then the couple tackled the main garden area at the front of the house. Here lies a lawn edged with flower-beds, once home to some ornamental miniature fir trees that have been replaced with a riot of cottage-garden blooms. It’s also home to an orchard of apple trees, among which sits Katie the Kunekune pig’s pen and a vintage caravan, which Vanessa has lovingly restored and now uses as a garden room.
Katie is often free to explore the rest of the garden and, although she has first dibs of windfall apples, she’s been caught trying to grab a quick munch in the flowerbeds when no one’s looking. “We’ve had her since a piglet and she’s now 13 years old,” beams Vanessa. “I’ve had to shoo her off my dahlias a few times but otherwise she’s very well behaved.”
Talking of dahlias, an abundance of these jewel-bright blooms are grown for late-summer colour and filling vases galore for alfresco supper tables. “It’s a real luxury to be able to pick flowers from the garden and I don’t take it for granted,” says Vanessa. “I treasure every bright beautiful stem and choosing just the right vase for them. The growing season is so short but a joy while it lasts.”
After losing most of her shed-stored dahlia tubers last winter to frost, they’re staying in the ground this year. Cosmos, verbena and Vanessa’s ultimate favourite, foxgloves, are also a high-light. “Sown as seeds in Feb, cosmos grow like wildfire, flowering until the first frosts as long as you keep deadheading them,” imparts Vanessa. “I also can’t get enough of the tall stems and bright purple flowers of verbena at the back of the beds.”
Foxgloves are sown at the end of August and kept in the greenhouse or a sheltered spot in the garden over winter, before being planted out into beds in early spring. “They come in a myriad of colours and make such an impact, reminding me of the quintessential cottage garden, plus bees love them too,” says Vanessa.
And new for next year, nigella and antirrhinum will be making an appearance, homegrown from seed of course. “I never buy plants from a garden centre – we just don’t have one nearby – so I grow most of my plants from seed or I take cuttings from friends and neighbours,” confirms Vanessa.
“My greenhouse is always completely full to the rafters! We also have poor stony soil, which is only about half a foot deep and then a solid layer of stone brash. We pull out big stones when planting and build walls from it as we have so much! So it’s impossible to plant big plants as I simply can’t dig holes big enough before I reach stone.”
Caravan of love
While that may sound pretty high-maintenance to some, Vanessa takes it all in her stride thanks in the main to her only garden rule: ‘enjoy it and have fun’. Whether she’s whizzing around pulling up caterpillar-chewed kale, sowing seeds or tidying a raised bed, it’s all done wearing a smile and the latest vintage finery. She even opened the garden to visitors this summer, for a local garden event. “We were lucky with the weather as it was glorious sunshine, we had over 400 visitors and it was lovely to see our garden through their eyes,” she smiles.
Vanessa admits she takes a relaxed approach when it comes to the garden’s colour scheme and doesn’t worry about colours clashing. “I don’t overthink things and trust mother nature,” she reveals. “More than anything, the garden is where I relax, and it’s an outlet for my creativity.”
Recent projects include using fallen leaves to decorate jar lanterns, and painting an old wheel-barrow and planting it up with flowers. “The best thing is I can move it around the garden to different positions,” smiles Vanessa.
And let’s not forget that caravan, transformed into a staycation hideaway: “We painted it green to match my kitchen garden. It’s become a place to chill, read a book and generally reflect.” It was also the setting for a special memory-making 27th wedding anniversary Insta reel earlier this year, with a rare camera appearance from firefighter Steve, and a romantic jigsaw session!
Next on the cards is a garden studio for Vanessa’s crafting and artwork. “We had an enormous oil tank and have put in a much smaller one and moved it to a more discrete location so we have some space,” she says.
How do you make a cosy garden area?
For now though, the log pile is stacked, Vanessa’s wardrobe is winter-ready with her favourite knits and boots, and the couple are enjoying mugs of warming hot chocolate on the veranda, firepit ablaze and fairylights a-twinkling.
The festive veranda glow-up begins early December with a seven-foot tree, complete with lights and baubles. A wooden table from the garden is also moved onto the deck for festive gatherings, and fresh chestnuts for roasting on the firepit come from Vanessa’s brother’s farm in Devon. “I also like to forage locally for greenery to make a homemade wreath and garlands to decorate it,” rejoices Vanessa.
And having picked sloes from local hedgerows in early September and steeped them in gin, it’s time to enjoy the liqueur fruits of their labour. “It’s our favourite tipple,” she giggles.
Getting cosy on the deck isn’t difficult thanks to the super-comfy bargain sofa and chairs Vanessa spotted on an Instagram post by @stroudfurniturebank. “It’s a charity that receives furniture donations that would otherwise go to landfill. I was in full panic mode and quickly called Steve to get him straight round to their warehouse. The sofa and chairs were only £100 and I’m thrilled they fit on our veranda.”
Along with a spot of ukulele playing by Steve and plenty of homebakes by Vanessa, Christmas is a very merry time in the Price garden. And during those slow lazy days after Christmas when the festivities start to fade, Vanessa’s thoughts and plans turn to next year’s crops. “I love this time of year but I’m also looking forward to when things start growing again. Our garden is the gift that keeps on giving, a year-round delight, and I can’t wait to do it all over again, bigger and even better!”
Homegrown happiness... Sustainable meets stylish in this productive plot where the wears are as tasteful as the wares!
1 of 13Foraged finds combine to create a shed-door centrepiece.
2 of 13We’d want every day to be a snow day if this garden was ours!
3 of 13Logs at the ready, Vanessa dreams of a white Christmas!
4 of 13Pin-up pig katie has garden quests squealing with delight!
5 of 13Raised bed bombshells look fab and work wonders.
6 of 13The vintage chic is always on point!
7 of 13En vogue veranda with second-hand sofa.
8 of 13The kitchen garden is a treasure trove of crops.
9 of 13Dressed for success, digging into a bounty of sweet and juicy strawberries.
10 of 13Flower Du jour, dazzling dahlias!
11 of 13The DIY caravan canopy is sew cute.
12 of 13Wheeling out a pretty upcycle for an open garden event.
13 of 13Hellebore divas putting on the Ritz!
Vanessa's tips for a cosy winter garden
✽ Add a firepit or chiminea with a grill. Not only will it warm you up, they’re great for cooking supper on.
✽ An outdoor Christmas tree is a must, perfect by the front door or on the patio. Decorate with plenty of battery or solar fairylights.
✽ Fill your space with festoon lights. They’re low energy and we use ones with a timer so they switch off automatically. We also buy the ones you can clip extra lengths to so they can be extended over time.
✽ Pick sloes from hedgerows in September and the liqueur will be ready to drink in December.
Smart ideas to steal
✽ Roof your pergola to cheat a veranda.
✽ Start a veg patch in a metal raised bed.
✽ Plant up an old wheelbarrow to make a movable planter.
Join Vanessa for more green-living glam on Insta @vanessa_inthe_cotswolds
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