Apartment Showcase Blog

Makes scents: There are more than a dozen varieties of the aromatic mint herb, including apple mint (above), used to make apple mint jelly, tea and other treats. (deunvistazo via Flickr)

I’m ripping off Apartment Therapy again; get over it.

Maybe one day I’ll plant that apartment garden that makes you do a double take … and maybe one day I’ll pick up where I left off with my astrophysics hobby, too. No matter, this is what Internet journalism is all about … when you don’t know enough about a subject to be an authority, you magically conjure up someone who does. Well anybody can do that, you muse. Yeah, well, I don’t see you doing it. Get over yourself with your fresh-ground coffee, MacBook Pro and Gucci glasses. This is my show.

I’m highlighting five plants that will make your apartment balcony smell better, the article says. Well, they’d probably make most any place smell better.

[ Related: 5 Tips for Starting Your Own Apartment Garden ]

And for some of you out there, I’m betting this could be very useful … of course, the ones with smelly apartments are likely the kind who are too lazy to even bother. But what do I look like? The Tony Robbins of article-swiping bloggers? Unlike that creepy guy, I can only lead you to verdant waters, not motivate you to get that trowel ready to use.

Just to show you I’m an equal opportunity thief, I’m also linking to Joel M. Lerner’s Washington Post article on plants (most of them the flowering kind) that are good to grow, especially in this area.

OK, now, five plants that will make your Old Town Alexandria abode smell good.

1. Lavender – Yes, it’s not just a pretty color. It’s a flowering plant that can be quite beautiful. It’s drought-tolerant, likes plenty of sun, and you can even shear the dead blossoms and put them somewhere else, as they keep their scent. Almost makes you want to call them the Purple Zombie plant.

2. Scented Geranium – Ah, here we have one where the leaves create the pleasing aroma. There are many types, and they’re generally easy to grow.

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3. Honeysuckle – Anyone who grew up in the region knows of wild honeysuckle, properly called Japanese honeysuckle. When I was a kid I loved them for their nectar. But these things can give off a powerful odor as well. Here is an in-depth guide to planting this natural treat.

4. Gardenias – The author brags about the fragrance of “those magical white blooms,” even if she hasn’t personally had any sustained success with gardenias. You may need to protect them in sub-freezing temperatures though.

5. Mint – These hardy plants have many uses and smell like, well, mint. The author says the plant is pretty much magical to her: “You can eat the leaves, drink the tea made from the leaves and you can’t really kill it.” Maybe the Purple Zombie plant has a green cousin? When you cut this plant’s leaves, it’s pungently good to your nostrils. But if you have a garden, make sure to plant it away from others.

Buzz killer: BugZooka’s captives are held in a removable chamber so you can release the critters outside. Or squash them. It’s up to you. (mommyknows via Flickr)

They started out two years ago as curious, even neat little green creatures I’d never seen before. Wow, they look just like plants I marveled. What a cute little guy.

But the fact that it was in my room next to my computer was a little puzzling, but hey, bugs get in the house all the time. Well, now I know that cute little trespasser was either Chinavia halaris, or green stink bug, or Nezara viridula, the southern green stink bug.

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Soon, other like-creatures, only uglier and brown, started migrating their way inside my home. And yes, there are a couple different kinds of those stink bugs too, dandies like the brown stinkbug (Euschistus servus) and the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). I had originally thought that they were the same bug which turned from green to brown after a certain point in their maturation, or maybe to reflect the season.

And no, I don’t know how to tell either like-colored species apart, either. But the worst part for the area renter is that the brown ones seem to multiply fast (whether others follow their trail or via insect romance), and if you perturb them enough, they stink to high heavens.

Worse still, if you capture a brown one in your hand and hold it too long while heading for the door to throw it out, it can stain your skin an ugly light brown (I’m not sure if it’s from the bug’s body itself or if the critter emits some type of dye when threatened, but I vote the former). This present takes days to completely fade, and no, I’m not sure if this happens with the green ones or not, but I wouldn’t chance it if I were you.

So why the heck am I talking about stink bugs, let alone different types? Because they are a nuisance, and I’ve found a humane way of getting rid of them.

It’s called, get ready, the BugZooka Bug Catcher Vacuum.

Dumb name or not, this bug catcher is good for nearly any small bug that plagues your happy, infested domicile. At the time of this writing, there are 261 reviews of the BugZooka, and it gets an impressive four-star rating.

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Well, there are always some people it won’t work for, but four stars is four stars. And the price, $29 – as of this writing – is reasonable.

Hey, I may eventually get one, and if you have an aversion to handling these bugs with your hands or find your Laurel apartment inundated with them, maybe you’ll get one, too.

It’s not easy being green: It may not look pretty, but that’s what lids are for. (canarsiebk via Flickr)

I bet one thing that keeps many apartment renters from composting is the thought of hundreds of worms squirming around in their kitchen or balcony, intrepid little tubular annelids who may be curious as to what the rest of the place tastes like.

Well, fortunately, there are resources on the Internet that show you how to compost in your kitchen or balcony without the aid of worms.

But first things first. For those who don’t know, Merriam-Webster defines compost as “a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing and conditioning land.” So yes, it’s fertilizer, fertilizer you make with normal outdoor and household refuse, the ultimate recycling.

[ Related: 5 Tips for Starting Your Own Apartment Garden ]

On YouTube, this Minnesotan, who, as far as I can tell, goes by Praxxus55712, has a rather unique way of indoor composting, unique in that he says he doesn’t follow any strict parameters. And no, you can’t use the lapdog, either.

In the above video, all you need are dried leaves, a drinking cup full of top soil, a pretty large can of used coffee grounds, a good-sized clean bucket, a spot of water … and your hand as a mixer. Make sure your bucket’s lid has some holes, or if your bucket doesn’t have a lid, try an old porous towel over top your goulash; the ingredients inside the pail need air to compost.

After you’re done these steps, let nature do its magic. You should mix or turn your compost fairly often so it receives needed oxygen, which causes more microbial activity. There are variations on this method, like using decaying plants and fruits, and of course, worms, so have a look around YouTube, which has quite a few composting videos. I chose Praxxus55712 because his video about wormless composting was pretty straightforward.

As a bonus, here is Colleen Vanderlinden from About.com writing about indoor composting. From what I gather, composting takes anywhere from six weeks to a year. Believe me, if you’re actually going to compost in your home, ask a knowledgeable friend or relative, an employee at your trusty home and garden store or one of the many composting websites on the Internet.

[ Related: Nice and Tidy: Tips for Organizing Your Apartment ]

Not to overload you with links, but this ridiculously thorough guide to composting should answer many, if not all, of your questions about this undertaking. Yes, they’re selling a product, but you don’t have to buy it.

And here are some compost bins from Target. As you can see, some of these are for the balcony (or small yard if you’re lucky enough to have one), and most are quite affordable.

Now, get composting in your Northwest digs. Your plants will love you for it.