The image on the website was virtual perfection: lush peonies in a sleek porcelain vase. But “virtual” proved the operative word when a crumpled box arrived bearing a few wan roses, a fistful of baby’s breath, and...hey, where’s the vase? Lesson: When you order flowers online, what you see may not be what you get.

So Real Simple’s road-testers pored over 60 sites and ordered 35 simple, pretty bouquets and plants, with nary a boring carnation or sprig of filler in the bunch. After following the florists’ instructions for five days, the testers chose the standouts that matched their online descriptions, arrived looking great, and stayed that way.