Smell

From Page 9

Environmental Working Group’s website (ewg.org) or app.

We asked Rapinchuk, Swope and Sara Swabb, an interior designer and the owner of Storie Collective in D.C., for their favorite air fresheners without potentially harmful chemicals. Here are their suggestions.

Swope likes the three-wick Botanica beeswax candle for its cotton wicks and essential oil fragrances, such as spruce, vanilla and lavender ($26, beeswaxcandles.com). It burns for about 18 hours. Rapinchuk says that a plain beeswax candle can contribute to cleaner air. When beeswax burns, it produces fewer volatile organic compounds and less soot than paraffin candles, according to the Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society.

Another popular option is to use an electric essential oil diffuser. Swope loves Vitruvi’s stone essential oil diffuser ($123, vitruvi.com), which can be set to run for four or eight hours and has a 500-square-foot diffusing capability. The initial cost is steeper than that of a candle or spray, but the diffuser should last for years.

Rapinchuk suggests Plant Therapy essential oils for diffusers, such as the organic lavender essential oil ($8.99 for 10 milli-

MOBILE/FLOATING

MULTI UNIT 2-4

Commercial

liters, planttherapy.com). To create a room spray, she mixes a half-cup of water, a quarter-cup of vodka, and 10 to 15 drops of essential oils.

Reed diffusers from Naked Goat distribute scents for two to three months. The reeds act like plant stems or straws, drawing the fragranced liquid to the top, where the scent is released. One of Swabb’s favorite scents is Naked Goat’s Cactus, a combination of citrus, coconut, pear, sandalwood and more ($24, nakedgoatsoapco.com).

For small spaces, Rapinchuk suggests cutting a bar of soap while it’s still in the wrapper to expose the top and let the scent permeate the air around it. She suggests using a Castile soap bar, such as Dr. Bronner’s pure Castile bar soap in lavender ($4.99, drbronner.com). Try using this in a closet, in mudroom storage bins or in powder room bath towel drawers.

And if you need to freshen up a room quickly because of a pet accident or some bad fruit lurking in a corner, Swope suggests using Grow Fragrance’s plant-based air and fabric sprays, which come in cedar, lavender, bamboo and more ($15, growfragrance.com).

In colorful containers that might resemble Sapphires and Rubies, Queen Tut elegantly sits as the crown. Partners are Superbells Grape Punch, White Knight Sweet alyssum and Supertunia Mini Vista Scarlet petunia.

Winter

From Page 7 thriller and four to five others representing spiller and filler. Believe me, even when planted I still may stick a sprig of Lemon Coral Sedum or Goldilocks Creeping Jenny in a little spot that sees sunlight just to see what develops over time. But back to the star of the show, Queen Tut papyrus. To me this is like Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem “How Do I Love Thee?” I love it with Heart to Heart Burning Heart caladiums; I love it with Solenia Apricot’s glowing begonia blossoms and paired with blue petu- nias. I love it in mixed containers that are so colorful they look like sapphires and rubies. Yet the crown on top is the elegant Queen Tut.

The point is, you cannot create a mixed container that will not be made more beautiful by the addition of Queen Tut papyrus. Now your challenge will be finding this gorgeous grass.

Norman Winter is a horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy. He receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.