I tested the best flower delivery services — my Valentine's Day pick is on sale

Flowers for Valentine's Day? Original, I know. But here's the deal: I spend my days researching, testing and writing about gifts that are worth your money, and flowers always deliver. And sure, it's not the most unique idea out there, but people can't get enough of 'em — myself included.

All bouquets aren't created equal, however. I've received my fair share of wilted, lifeless blooms over the years, which makes ordering flowers online for others a bit of a gamble. Will my loved one's flowers arrive in the same sad state? Or will I be able to breathe a sigh of relief? Sometimes, it's not a risk worth taking, especially on big, important occasions like Valentine's Day.

Well, that ends now because I leveled the playing field by ordering bouquets from all the top flower delivery services to figure out which ones are worth my money (and yours). It turns out that quite a few brands delivered fresh, lasting flowers, but Farmgirl Flowers sent arguably the most beautiful assortment of the bunch. There were no browned edges, no roughed-up leaves, just 30 (!) stunning stems.

Farmgirl Flowers XOXOXO Bouquet

$109

"You order, we pick, they're happy"— that's the Farmgirl philosophy. Order this cheery Valentine's Day bouquet now and it'll arrive as soon as tomorrow. Use code COMMITMENT to get 25% off. 

$109 at Farmgirl Flowers

Farmgirl Flowers XOXO bouquet

$89

I tested the middle-of-the-road option, but it also comes in a smaller version or a bigger one with a whopping 40+ stems. Nab any of the three (or another one of Farmgirl's offerings) for 25% off with code COMMITMENT. 

$89 at Farmgirl Flowers

I'll admit, this wasn't my first go-around with Farmgirl. I've been sent a couple of their bouquets over the years, but this was the first time that I didn't rush to put them in a vase upon arrival so I could take some time to hone in on all the details. The XOXOXO bouquet was wrapped in the brand's signature burlap and tied together with a pretty pink bow. Sustainability is clearly top of mind for the brand: The burlap is compostable (just a hint) and everything else inside the box — the zip tie, tissue paper, you name it — can be recycled or reused.

As for the flowers, they're, by far, the freshest, brightest blooms that showed up at my door. Farmgirl promises to "always ship the highest quality stems" even if they don't match the ones in the photos, and while my arrangement certainly looked different than the one online, it was, dare I say, even more beautiful. The bouquet pictured online relied heavily on red and pink roses, but mine was loaded with roses, spray roses, lisianthus and lilies in a mix of purples, pinks and burgundies. I'd rather the latter anyway.

It didn't require much TLC, which is something that can't be said about the other bouquets I received. I simply trimmed the stems per the printed instructions and placed them in a vase with cool water. All of the flowers were already in full bloom except for the lilies, which I knew would open up in a few days' time.

I got to work as soon as the Farmgirl bouquet landed on my doorstep. First, I looked at the packaging and presentation. I asked the following questions: Were the flowers well-wrapped and protected? Was all the necessary info in the box? Then, I moved on to the flowers, where I examined their freshness, quality and overall variety. How did the flowers look upon arrival — and how did that change with a little water? Beauty is subjective, so I tried to put my personal preferences aside and tested the bouquet at face value.

I shared the love (er, flowers) with my mom, and her response only confirmed my feelings. "It's not your typical bouquet. It's a nice selection of flowers, and I love their choice of filler," she texted me, along with a picture of the bouquet on full display (see above).

The flowers lasted a full two weeks with some regular maintenance, including daily water changes and occasional trims. (Psst, they have in-depth flower care instructions on their website.) It's one of the rare times where I actually felt like I got my money's worth — and given that this bouquet is on the pricier side, that's really saying something. There's something special about knowing that all of Farmgirl's mixed arrangements are a little different because they use farm-fresh stems. It's a unique way to give something that's relatively cliché.

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