ALEXANDRIA, Va. — When The Landing senior living residences opened up in Alexandria a year and a half ago, it offered every luxury amenity and feature community members could hope for —except for a garden. The Dirt Diggers group was born, and now their rooftop terrace is bursting with color.
"To me it's a therapeutic activity," explains Ginger Wilkening, a resident at The Landing. "You're working with nature and you're getting the benefit of seeing all the beautiful flowers afterwards. Plus, with our group here there's a lot of fellowship that's developed and we all enjoy getting out."
Ginger was one of the founding members of the Dirt Diggers and gave WUSA9 a tour of their little piece of paradise in the middle of bustling Alexandria.
"When we first moved there were boxwoods here but I was missing the colors from the flowers," Ginger said. "A lot of us wanted to get back into gardening. We love gardening, so we came here and different people adopted different boxes and they could choose what they wanted to plant."
From flowers to herbs and vegetables that all residents are welcome to. Even the in house chef takes advantage of the fresh veggies.
"We've got some peppers in here and lots of tomatoes," explains Ginger. "The tomatoes really liked it up here."
Their growing gardens also attract some welcome visitors.
"I thought that the butterflies wouldn't make it up here. It's a lot of stairs to climb," jokes Michelle Chapman, another resident at The Landing and member of the Dirt Diggers. "And they don't let them use the elevator. They don't let the butterflies use the elevator. So I was glad when someone told me that a butterfly made it up here yesterday."
Fellow Dirt Digger, Mary Fahrer, adds, "Today what I really enjoyed is the bumble bees buzzing around. And I thought they're going somewhere to make some honey I know."
Bees are the only ones keeping busy, the Dirt Diggers are already planning ahead for spring.
Ginger told WUSA9, "We're going to be planting spring bulbs soon and it's such a joy after a cold winter to see flowers coming up. The daffodils, the crocuses, the tulips."
A labor of love that Ginger says also provides great health benefits and lasting relationships. "It's a fun activity. We enjoy getting out and gardening and the friendships that we've developed have been wonderful. We've all enjoyed being part of the Dirt Diggers here at the landing."