Day One: Meet Lyra and Basil Every garden begins with a first plant. Ours began with a spider plant called Lyra and a basil who took six days to tell us his name. That might sound unusual. Most people name their plants immediately, or not at all. We waited. We watched. We learned that he liked the lamp more than the window, that his leaves went from cautious to confident over the course of a week, that his fragrance only really arrived once he felt at home. On day six, the name came. Basil. Of course it was Basil. Lyra came first — a spider plant in a red pot, striped leaves reaching outward in every direction like she was already practicing for something bigger. She arrived on 10th March 2026, soil bone dry, thirsty and ready. She got 200ml of collected rainwater and a spot under a full-spectrum lamp that used to belong to a plant called Audrey. She's been thriving there ever since. There's a cat called Zeus. He tasted Lyra on day one, ...
