Sandy's Garden ... Hebes and the Heebie-Jeebies

Since the Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘heebie-jeebies’ as ‘strong feelings of fear or worry’, I concluded I must have misheard her.

And I had – she had actually suggested that I look at the hebes which had caught her eye.

However, my curiosity was aroused; and I now know that Ben Zimmer, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, has revealed that the term ’heebie-jeebies’ was coined on October 26, 1923 by the American writer Billy DeBeck.

And after that diversion, let’s look at hebes.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) website says, “Hebes are bushy evergreen shrubs with purple, pink or white flowers in summer, and sometimes in spring or autumn. The leaves can be ornamental too, often tinged with pink or variegated. Plants range from 30cm (1ft) up to 1.2m (4ft) tall.”

The end of January 2022 might not be the best time to plant hebes in my garden, for they won’t be too happy to be transferred to my seemingly ever-damp and chilly soil, preferring sunshine and free-draining soil.

Some varieties won’t thrive at all in central Scotland. We in Falkirk district want varieties whose labels reveal that they have been placed within categories H3 and H4 … indications of their ability to survive frost … if they are to survive a winter here; and yes, we can buy suitable varieties.

Hebes won't thrive in very heavy, wet soil or deep shade and they do appreciate a pleasantly warm spot in the garden where they’ll be able to enjoy plenty of sunshine. Unlike quite a number of plants, hebes are happy in salty air by the seaside – so readers in Stonehaven … and yes, we do have regular readers in that coastal town … may wish to think of adding them to their garden. That encyclopaedic source of information Wikipedia offers these words in its opening paragraph on hebes. “Hebe is a genus of plants native to New Zealand, Rapa in French Polynesia, the Falkland Islands, and South America. It includes about 90 species and is the largest plant genus in New Zealand. Apart from Hebe rapensis (endemic to Rapa), all species occur in New Zealand. This includes the two species, Hebe salicifolia and Hebe elliptica, that have distributions extending to South America. The genus is named after the Greek goddess of youth, Hebe."

And who was Hebe, after whom the plant is named? The ancient Greeks had a meritocracy of gods and goddesses, all possessing divine powers to achieve outcomes beyond human understanding. Hebe’s powers were among the most powerful of all. The daughter of Zeus … King of the Gods … and Hera … his sister and wife (don’t ask) who was the goddess of women, marriage and family … Hebe was the goddess of youth with the power to restore youthfulness in general at the touch of a blessing. Ah, would that I could win her favour!