Everybody needs some bunny, sometime

Easter is early this year (April 8), but the timing is perfect to capture the best of Northwest spring garden flowers for arrangements.

We especially like a cute pink bunny basket (see page 16) with white ranunculus and baby's breath, and a traditional white woven basket with sunny orange and yellow tulips.

Traditional Easter egg basket with a twist

Instead of an Easter basket full of eggs or candy, consider a basket full of orange and yellow tulip "eggs." If cut so the heads just peek above the edge of the basket, the tulips look like "eggs" for a fun brunch centerpiece.

Place a floral frog in the container of water, and put the container in the basket. Remove all the leaves from the tulips, and cut them all the same length. Place the tulips on the frog, which will hold them upright.

When finished, inset green "paper grass" around the edge between the container and basket. Add a small bow on each side of the handle, and you are ready to celebrate spring.

Peter Cottontail Basket

This sweet bunny has a square well to slip a small container of water into (a pill bottle or glass jar works well, depending on the stem width of the selected flowers).

Make a nosegay, holding the flowers in one hand. You can place them in the container or, if it's easier, tie the nosegay with string, floral tape or a rubber band before placing it in the container.

The sides of the basket are narrow, so once the flowers have been inserted into the well, pull the flowers out to fill in any holes. The open white ranunculus looks just like a bunny's cotton tail.

If the ranunculus stems collapse from supporting the open heavy-headed flowers, insert a small wire in the stem and wrap the end of the wire around the stem before adding to the bouquet. The stems will stay in place this way.

The basket is also available in yellow chick form. Bright grape hyacinths, pansies and daffodils would work in the chick basket, as would pink camellias.

Both baskets also make charming baby-shower arrangements or new-baby welcome gifts.

Cost

If you're lucky, you'll find tulips, camellias and hyacinths blooming in your yard. If not, head to the nearest grocery store and pick up a few bunches of flowers.

I used half a bunch of ranunculus at about $8.99 a bunch and about one-third of the baby's breath, which was $1.99 a pack. For the basket, I needed 30 tulips, which cost $24.

I had the white basket but found the pink bunny basket at Martha E. Harris Flowers and Gifts in Seattle's Madison Park neighborhood for $18.75.

Budget Bouquet is an occasional feature in digs.