Dodgers by Stephen G. Haw Stephen Haw

¶ … Dodgers by Stephen G. Haw

Stephen Haw presents an elaborate factual and informative piece on the art of using drought resistant plants to beautify the home and create a Mediterranean garden that will require little or no attention and yet serve the purpose that others that require a lot of attention would still serve. He first outlines the three basic needs of a plant; light, air and water with water being the most difficult need to satisfy hence he presents plants that will have least bother for this commodity.

Some of the highlighted plants are Halimium halimifalium which grows upright with gray leaves and yellow flowers, C. Salviifolius with sage-like leaves and white flowers, Cistus albidus with gray foliage and purplish-pink flowers, Jasminum fruticuns with attractive yellow flowers, Erica multiflora with pink flowers, Coronilla glauca with fragrant yellow flowers, Genista aetnesis which looks like a broom and is resilient.

The writer further gives hints on how to plant and take care of these drought resistant plants in order for them to remain healthy throughout the dry times with little watering. A professional way of planting is given with the soil loosened to a depth of at least 18 inches and after planting there is need to have mulch around the plant. Some stones should be partly or completely buried around the plant also to help retain moisture. There is need also to take keen interest and close attention on the plants ate least fro the first year before the plants can be totally independent. Worth noting here is that most of these plants will not require fertile soil but once they put down their roots, then they will thrive and serve the aesthetic purpose they are meant to.

Analysis

With the water need in mind, he writer goes ahead to give the reader a large sample of plants and flowers that can be used and alongside these plants, he gives the origins whenever appropriate in order for the reader to have a better understanding of what they may buy. The most interesting part of the entire article is the vivid description that the writer uses to try and give the reader a picture of what the plant he is talking about looks like. This is with the full knowledge that most readers may not be in the know of these plant names hence may feel lost or have little use of the article with the mere mention of the scientific names. The writer further makes it easier for the reader to understand hi script by giving both the scientific and the local name of each of the plants since there are bound to be readers who can only understand the local names, he further gives the months or duration across which these flowers blossom. This will make work of choice easier for the potential growers since they will pick the ones that will blossom at their correct timing, say when they are at home most of the time for instance during breaks. One thing that makes the article peculiar is the vivid description used and the numeracy of the choices that the writer gives, having in mind that there is a possibility that one may not have an exposure to a wide variety of these plants at the same place or area within the country.