Ray began his writing career with ad agencies in New York City and then at his own agency in his hometown of Miami. After selling his Miami firm to BBDO International in 1981, Ray and his wife, Chy, moved their family to Vermont to turn their hobby of wildflower gardening into a family business.

They first established a 6-acre tourist attraction which they called “The Wildflower Farm” and built it into one of Vermont's best-known attractions. The Allens soon developed their own seed line of mixtures and species for all regions of the US. The company grew from the original "farm" to a national catalog until today, with both the retail outlet and the catalog sold to others, it operates a leading wildflower gardening website, called AmericanMeadows.com. When Ray is not writing these days, he is hard at work on the company website, which has become not only the No. 1 source of wildflower seeds for homeowners, but also a major outlet for bulbs and perennials. Ray's wife Chy is still the company's CFO and staff photographer.

Ray has not only planted and grown wildflowers for decades, but has also written extensively about them. His newspaper and magazine features on meadow gardening (along with Chy's exquisite photos) have appeared in over 100 daily newspapers and magazines from coast to coast, and the firm has produced many other materials on wildflower culture, including the definitive "How To" video on meadow gardening.