Easter treats that won’t widen the waistline Easter 2012

Easter treats that won’t widen the waistlineEaster 2012

Crack the custom of the chocolate egg this Easter and instead give beautiful flowering bulbs to brighten the home and manage the waistline, says the Flower Council of Holland.

Sweeter smelling than a chocolate box, indoor flowering bulbs in pots and vases such as narcissus, hyacinth, iris and tulip are perfect for freshening up the home and livening up surroundings.

Get the kid’s involved by encouraging them to decorate pots using Easter-themed wrapping paper, stickers or magazine cuttings or rummage around the house for make-shift containers.  Pot a colourful mixture of narcissus, tulip and hyacinth in a disused bowl or get children to place single stems of cut tulipa ‘Flaming Parrot’ in blown-out, painted chicken eggs to make fun centre pieces for the Easter dining table.

For a grown-up interior, place blue hyacinth and cut yellow narcissus in crisp white containers to add subtle freshness to rooms and a modern addition to kitchen tables and side boards.
 Place pots and vases around the house, on mantelpieces, bookshelves and un-occupied desk chairs but remember to use hardy containers for outdoor decoration.  For Easter egg hunts, hide small chocolate eggs in the pots and behind the bulbs.  Add extra glitz by sprinkling glitter over the soil.

Re potting bulbs into different containers is easy and won’t harm the bulbs if done correctly.  Carefully twist the pot and remove the bulb, keeping the earth on the roots so as not to damage them.  Place in the chosen container and fill up any gaps with earth or compost.