MIAMI BEACH, FL — Average annual floral spending, an estimated $184 in 2010 for all U.S. households, is recovering from the Great Recession, when it bottomed out at $180 in 2007 at the beginning of the downturn. But with the slow recovery it still lags behind the robust pre-recession level of $191 in 2000, according to a study by Prince & Prince, a market research firm in Columbus, OH.

MIAMI BEACH, FL — The International Floriculture Expo closed out a five-year run at the Miami Beach Convention Center here with an uptick in exhibitors — 211 booths, 30 more than last year — and buyers, with nine out of the top 10 supermarket chains and “key buyer” attendance up 11 percent over 2012. Next year’s IFE show will be held June 10-13 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, it was announced at the show.

Hello and happy Christmas in July to everyone. How can supermarkets sell more Christmas trees? First we must ask what the customer is looking for. Most people today move at a fast pace and don’t have a lot of extra time to shop for a Christmas tree. So we need to try to make their shopping experience as convenient and enjoyable as possible.

The North Carolina Fraser fir was the Rodney Dangerfield of the forest in the 1970s — it got no respect. Today, it has reached stardom, accounting for upwards of $75 million in sales and chosen by more than 20 percent of consumers who buy farm-grown Christmas trees.

The Fraser fir is a 12-time winner of the national tree competition, displayed at the White House more than any other variety of Christmas tree. It is native to the Western Appalachian Mountains and now makes up 90 percent of all Christmas trees grown and harvested in North Carolina.

Market Street stores offered floral items — a Texas-grown greenery bouquet and basil and assorted herbs — in its annual Best of Texas Expo that took place weekends in July at all 11 Market Street stores in north and west Texas.

Bradley Gaines, director of floral for United/Market Street, said the heat and drought had limited floral offerings for the Best of Texas events that ended the last weekend in July. During the expo, stores featured top products from the Lone Star State, and had sample appetizers, entrees and desserts made from products grown in Texas.

After 17 years in the floral business, I will be retiring from Price Chopper Supermarkets Aug. 1. Here is a brief reflection on my career in floral.

I began in sales and marketing at a traditional regional wholesaler. In nearly every industry, the wholesale segment is getting squeezed out or eliminated, and floral is no exception. I would say the biggest learning I gained in wholesale floral was about the conventional florist. If you look at the absolute number of florists, there has been a precipitous decline over the past two decades.