Raaya Churgin works in the flower fields at Henpecked Husband Farms on Aug. 11. Credit: John Roca
Raaya Churgin works in the flower fields at Henpecked Husband Farms on Aug. 11. Credit: John Roca Raaya Churgin, who nurtures 90 varieties of flower on the land she and her husband farm in Riverhead, says her garden roses represent the rose in its truest form. Unlike a standard supermarket rose, which she says is "very stiff, very hard, and it's just not a rose to me," the petals on her roses are softer, the edges wavier, the shapes less uniform. “The American-grown, slow-flower movement is definitely gaining speed,” Churgin said, of a focus on local flowers grown using sustainable practices. “The flowers seem more alive because they’re just fresher. Just naturally fresher.” Churgin and her husband, Sterling, farm seven of their 29 acres as the owners of Henpecked Husband Farms — a flower-growing operation that sells cut flowers wholesale and to clients who compose floral arrangements for events. Raaya Churgin in the fl...