Perfect for an Irish spring

"Sure 'tis like a morn in spring," this St. Patrick's Day bouquet offers a traditional 100,000 welcomes or, as they say in Ireland, Ceád Mile Fáilte!

Preparation

Create your St. Patrick's Day bouquet using two of the most revered symbols of the emerald isle — Guinness beer and shamrocks. Once you empty the Guinness carton (hey, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it), slip two to three shamrock plants into the carton sections and make two or three small nosegays for the other sections.

Yellow, green and white flowers lend a light, fresh spring touch and go well with the elegant black and tan Guinness carton colors. Think sunny yellow daffodils or tulips mixed with apple-green hypericum and snowy-white mini-carnations. White daisies, freesia, baby's breath, forsythia and bells of Ireland are also options.

Place the shamrocks in the carton, then add glass jars, vases or other small containers filled with water to the remaining sections.

Make the nosegays by mixing four or five flowers together in your hand. Secure them with a rubber band, twist-tie or string. Cut the stems even. Put a nosegay in each of the water-filled containers.

Fluff the bouquets over the edge of the carton. (I cut the string once the flowers were in their slots, and they fanned out naturally.)

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Tips

Tie kelly-green, orange and white satin or grosgrain ribbons to the handle of the carton, or add an Irish flag. If you're using the bouquet as a centerpiece, scatter a few sparkly shamrocks on the table around the carton for an extra bit of Irish fun.

I found healthy, full 4-inch potted shamrocks, so I needed only two containers. If you have smaller plants, you may need four plants to get the same effect.

Cost

Daffodils, mini-carnations and hypericum can be found at local grocery stores. I used three bunches of daffodils, and one each of carnations and hypericum and had enough flowers left over to make another bouquet.

The shamrocks were $4.99 each from Swansons (9701 15th Ave. N.W., Seattle; 206-782-2543), and the flowers were purchased at a QFC for $19.53.

Flags and ribbon can be found at most craft and party supply stores. The Irish flag was 95 cents.

As for the carton? It's free if you buy the beer.

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