Tulsa-Based Company Puts Valentine's Day Bouquets To The Test

Americans will spend almost $19 billion this Valentine's Day, and a lot of that will be on flowers.

An Oklahoma consumer advocacy group ordered several bouquets and ranked which one was the best bang for your buck.

The information is all online and is a great resource to have. It lets you compare florists and bouquets, so you can make sure your valentine is getting the right gift.

Last Valentine's Day, Amanda Campbell's mind was on her recently widowed mother. Campbell ordered her mom a plant from a major online retailer, but when it arrived it didn't look so lovely.

“I was absolutely floored and embarrassed and frustrated," Campbell said.

Tulsa-based Consumer Affairs is trying to make your bouquet-buying experience better.

CEO Zac Carman and his staff ordered the five best-selling bouquets from the five biggest online florists.

Consumer Affairs picked the bouquets apart, and surveyed thousands of women, to see which bouquet is the most romantic, the best bang for your buck, the best deal and which shows up looking like its online picture.

“It's probably better than me just randomly saying, 'Oh, that one looks good!' No. Let's listen to women," Carman said.

The pink roses and spider mums bouquet by ProFlowers won for most romantic.

A bouquet from 1-800-Flowers won for best bang for your buck; it has larkspurs, roses, hydrangea, lilies, daisies and sunflowers - one of the least expensive flowers – and sells for $74.95.

"This bouquet from 1-800-Flowers has a wholesale margin of 51 percent, whereas Blooms Today has a wholesale margin of 76 percent," Carman said.

The bouquet that showed up looking most like its picture is from Blooms Today.

It's an important piece of information, so your valentine doesn't get a plant looking like this.

“If you just put your faith in someone blindly, it can come back and not turn out so well," said Carman.

All of the flowers in our video are from Mrs. DeHaven's Flower Shop in Tulsa. That's another option, to buy locally, instead of ordering online.