Viewfinder: Spring Has Sprung, at Least Indoors

While they won't see anything like the wild crush before Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, area florists and garden centers have been busy this week preparing for Easter and the beginning of spring planting.

Picking up a bouquet of flowers for grandma at Easter is a lost art, area florists said. But florists and designers were still keeping busy creating Easter arrangements for area churches and spring table displays and bouquets in a vast range of styles, colors and sizes.

Pure white Easter lilies are obviously the traditional Easter flower and remain popular. But the kind and colors of flowers, bouquets, arrangements and plants keeps growing every year.

Any-Time Flowers in West St. Paul features the must-see-to-be-believed "tie-dyed" or "rainbow" Roses from Holland, exotic orchids from Thailand and premium red roses from Quito, Ecuador, highlighting a long list of cut flowers.

Employees at are meanwhile working hard to fill the needs of area gardeners who are eager to get out and either start or continue their spring plantings. Their hothouse has rows and rows of colorful geraniums and other flowers just waiting for new homes.