Horticulturist Joe Keyser does not have to deal with the pesky deer that are the bane of many Washington area gardeners -- he grows his 30 varieties of herbs, 15 types of lavender and other assorted greenery four stories above the streets of Rosslyn.
Keyser, an environmental education specialist who writes a gardening column for the Gazette newspapers in Maryland, has lived in Arlington's Fort Georgetown apartments for 20 years. You might think a gardening expert would yearn for a yard, but he doesn't.
"Through my work I have surrogate gardens all over, but I find container gardening more of a challenge, giving me a chance to grow something more tropical," said Keyser, whose rooftop deck measures 15 feet by 26 feet. Mature trees surround his corner apartment, adding another verdant touch to the deck, even though it is within sight of Rosslyn's concrete high-rises.
"We get hummingbirds up here," he said, along with the inevitable squirrels. "They bury their acorns and forget them. Oak trees pop up in even the smallest containers."
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