Jillian Kubala of Nestledown Dahlias Farm in Westhampton harvests her organically grown flowers and makes bouquets for sale. Credit: Randee Daddona
Jillian Kubala of Nestledown Dahlias Farm in Westhampton harvests her organically grown flowers and makes bouquets for sale. Credit: Randee Daddona The arrangement of petals bears resemblance to origami. Paper-like petals converge to form a spherical blossom. “Dahlias are a big crop out here for the summer,” Churgin said. “They don’t really ship well, you can’t really get them from Europe and South America,” so there is a market for them locally, she said. Most sell for $2.50-$5 per stem, depending on size and type. “It is a very big, number one money selling crop because most florists, if you are in New York, you will most likely be using local dahlias,” Churgin said. The growing season for cut flowers cultivated outdoors on Long Island starts in April and runs through mid-November. Perennial plants, which come back season after season, are still growing over the winter. Among the winter survivors are Iceland poppies wi...