What's going to be happening on the supermarket flower stands this year? If trends in the bespoke floristry sector are anything to go by, there will be more bling and more variety and structure to the design. This w ill be through the use of containers, vases and baskets rather than expecting the consumer to buy a bouquet and then find the vase.

Whether that can be replicated at supermarket level remains to be seen, as current styling is labour intensive and requires add-on s that will also have an impact on margins.

Current trend-setting floristry isn't about bunging a few flowers in a bunch and calling it hand-tied. It's about considered placement of unusual flowers, or traditional flowers used in a contemporary way.

Carnations, for example, are once again sexy, but only if used in more structured design styles such as compact boxes covered in bling, or as floral objects , such as spheres of foam covered in textured and interestingly coloured varieties set against high style dishes .

Vases of flowers have to look natural but actually need loads of styling . For florists, this involves working flowers into foam - easy when you know what you're doing, but not something that can be easily replicated on a production line.

Wiring and caging is still big - again labour intensive but a way of adding value to a basic line.

Seasonality is also increasingly important. Just as the discerning foodie finds it offensive to buy strawberries in winter so too will they run a mile from peonies in November. And while scent always seems to be top of the wish list, I think a choice of varieties will be far more important in the coming months.

Supermarkets have done the flower industry a world of good by creating demand and interest, but they are in danger of becoming victims of their own success by not moving with the times in terms of range.

This could, perhaps lead to the biggest change in trends - more expensive flowers. The very consumers who were turned on to flowers by supermarkets are now being turned off them because it's all got very boring.

No self-respecting florist would dream of having nothing more than chrysanthemum, carnations, roses, lilies and alstroemeria, and supermarkets will have to improve their range if they're going to achieve decent growth.