Definitions of Hebe:

Hebe is the Greek Goddess of Youth. The daughter of Zeus and Hera, she served ambrosia and nectar to the Olympians. She has the ability to restore youth and vigour.

Hebe is also a genus of plants native to New Zealand, French Polynesia, the Falkland Islands and S America. It includes about 90 species of small bushes that, given the right conditions, can grow to 2m. There are large and small-leafed varieties. Evergreen. Easy to grow. Small-leafed specimens are more hardy in N Scotland.

And this I can vouch for, 'cos the beautiful variegated one I bought last summer, with its magnificent purple blooms and large silver-edged leaves, that I felt sure would weather the winter, died. It had looked so bold and confident throughout autumn and early winter, but suddenly took fright in February, shook off all its leaves, and shivered until its bare stems withered into dead sticks.

Hebe is the name of my Patterjack pup. She has boundless energy and vigour and will, hopefully, restore my youth. Haha!

She shows an aptitude for gardening, as she knows all about nipping out the tips of plants to encourage bushy growth.

For her, this doesn't require a delicately deliberate, or precise, thought process. It just requires a scything swipe of her sharp nashers as she darts around my garden like an out-of-control squib! Anything and everything is subject to her teeth, as she hurtles past my potted displays - at terrific speed!

I'm sure that when this Jack Russell cross Patterdale finally whittles down her rough edges and calms down in about 3 years, the result will be a much calmer edition of the currently crazy Hebe.

Until then, I shall remain a cross between exhausted and demented!

I think I've probably got a case of the Heebie-jeebies.

I'm currently working my way through Phase 1.