Home gardeners can lend a hand to Hmong flower farmers still suffering from devastating floods

Everyone with a flower garden has the ability to help Hmong flower farmers recover from last November’s devastating floods, by bringing dahlia tubers to five area nurseries on Saturday, April 14.

The Hmong farmers, who came to the Northwest as refugees from the Vietnam War, have played a major role in revitalizing agriculture in King County.

Their primary source of income is selling bright bouquets of dahlias and other flowers at the Pike Place Market, plus neighborhood markets throughout King County.

Record floodwaters that swept through the Snoqualmie Valley in late November 2006 inundated the farms of 46 Hmong families, destroying more than $1 million worth of equipment and crops.

King County, the King County Agriculture Commission, Washington State University Extension and local nurseries are helping these farmers stay in business by hosting Dahlia Day, April 14.

Home gardeners are encouraged to donate just a few of their extra dahlia tubers from their flower beds to help the Hmong farmers. Both single and clumped bulbs will be accepted, so long as there are free from dirt and disease, and preferably with their colors tagged for sorting.

Tubers can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to noon April 14 at any of the following nurseries:

• Angelo’s Nursery – 2211 156th Ave NE, Bellevue;

• Furney’s Nursery – 21215 Pacific Hwy S., Des Moines;

• Sky Nursery – 18528 Aurora Ave. N., Shoreline;

• Swanson’s Nursery – 9701 15th Ave NW., Seattle; and

• Wells Medina Nursery – 8300 NE 24th St., Medina.

Dahlia tubers can also be dropped off at Molbak’s Nursery on April 21. Molbak’s is at 13625 NE 175th St., Woodinville. Molbak’s is supplying a storage unit where the dahlia tubers will be kept until distribution to the Hmong farmers later this spring.

More information on the bulb drive is available by contacting Karen Kinney with King County Agriculture Program, 206-263-6429, or karen.kinney@kingcounty.gov.